Project G Part 7 - GODZILLA SAVES THE EARTH
by DHT
Summary: After a long absence, Godzilla and Doctor Honda are forced out of hiding when Earth becomes the primary battlefield in an intergalactic war. Their intervention seems to turn the tide, but by then, the war has already drawn the attention of an ancient Planet Eater intent on exterminating the pests of the universe.
1. The Beginning of The End

Planet X was a dying world long before it was obliterated by the entity its inhabitants knew simply as "Zero."

A race of intelligent pale hominids had ravaged the planet with pollution, deforestation, excessive hunting, and other forms of ecological destruction. It eventually became clear that their world was dying, and a radical change of course was needed to preserve their race. Their government had by then been replaced with intelligent computers who made all of the important decisions in their society. When given this particular problem, the computers came up with the solution of strict limits on consumption.

Initially, many resisted these instructions. Even without a standing government, the Xiliens were a highly stratified society, and those in positions of power continued to hoard and gorge while the rest did without and the planet continued to deteriorate. This resulted in countless deaths from starvation and did nothing to assuage the problem. The computers then took over by force, manipulating the brainwaves of their makers to force them into obedience. The brainwashed masses no longer had individual identities nor even names; those were replaced with serial numbers. The Xiliens survived at the cost of their free will and any semblance of culture, but even then it was too late.

When the Xilien population dropped below one million, the computers commanded them to construct war machines to invade other planets and acquire more resources. This, too, proved insufficient. In Planet X time, it took six years of exploration and plundering to return with enough food and fuel to last four years. The second excursion lasted seven years and earned them resources enough for three years. Supplies were being depleted faster than they could be replenished, even with consumption reduced to the bare minimum. The Xiliens took a risk in putting all of their remaining fuel into the robots for a third mission. However, before they could be dispatched, Zero arrived.

As previously mentioned, the computers had deprived everything and everyone on Planet X of their names. Zero was given this designation because of its great power and wrath; it had the capacity to reduce an entire planet to nothingness. This was to be the fate of Planet X, for the people of this dying world were becoming a threat to the galaxy around them with their plundering, and so a terrible power was sent to intervene. The robots were deployed to fight Zero, but they were easily defeated. A few of them managed to escape the destruction of Planet X, bringing the collective records and knowledge of the Xiliens to elsewhere in the universe. Zero hunted them down one by one with the intent of preventing other worlds from suffering the same fate.

* * *

Thousands of years later and thousands of lightyears away, in the Earth year of 1965 AD, World War III had broken out. The human race was spared the horrors of nuclear war, but for how long, no one could say.

The war was brought about, ironically, by the end of the Great Monster War, as it had come to be known. For a decade, the nations of the Earth put aside their differences to fight in unity against a common enemy - or so it seemed. In reality, the old grudges, quarrels, and rivalries had persisted, with many nations continuing to fight amongst themselves. The superpowers suspended their mutual squabbling because they each saw the war as an opportunity to advance their own standing in the world. Once the monster threat was deemed over, there was no more incentive for them not to pursue their own agendas.

The Great Monster War had also seen an unprecedented escalation in weapons technology, particularly during the final two years. The Soviet inventor Arkoff and the Chinese scientist Fang had been arrested for creating giant robots and hybrid monsters to be sold for warfighting. Once the organization employing them both was shut down, Arkoff and Fang were not tried for their crimes, but rather compelled into the service of their respective nations. Japan and the United States of America joined forces in creating their own fighting robots. Other nations such as India, Saradia, Great Britain, and the Koreas joined in the fighting, using either monsters under their control or fighting machines originally built to combat the monsters.

The first city to play host to a full-scale battle in this war was also the first to be attacked by a giant monster ten years prior: Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. China had sought to reclaim Taiwan for years, the Soviet Union wanted to establish a base there, and American-Japanese forces believed it was in their own interest to prevent either. As a result, Taipei would become the site of a protracted three-way battle that lasted for most of September.

The Chinese deployed a swarm of monsters called the Dragma designed by Fang; their heads and bodies resembled those of ceratopsid dinosaurs, their legs and tails appeared more insectoid, and they had powerful batlike wings. The Soviets unleashed the monsters Kong and Titanosaurus, once dead but now revived with extensive mechanical augmentations including onboard weapons and cybernetically enhanced brains. Finally, the American-Japanese forces had three mechs at their disposal: the android Jet Jaguar, the arachnid All-Terraintula, and Cybersaur, a thinly-disguised rebuild of MechaGodzilla.

The battle between these behemoths did not directly involve any human soldiers, but civilians were still present and in harm's way. It all began too suddenly for a proper evacuation, and the more chaotic it became, the harder it was for people to leave the city, so thousands remained trapped for the duration of the battle.

Eventually, all three sides withdrew toward the end of September, having accomplished nothing for themselves but cost the city of Taipei and its people much. Similarly fruitless yet destructive battles took place on the Pacific Coasts of Russia and the United States as well as throughout Oceania. There was a sense of collective trauma among many who had convinced themselves that this scale of armed conflict would never happen again. Amidst the turmoil, they found themselves wishing for the return of a hero who had given them hope since 1960…

* * *

Godzilla lay on the shore of the red sand island, sleeping deeply and calmly in the warm sunlight. After years of traveling the world just to fight, he now had an opportunity to relax. Granted, the circumstances that led to his early retirement were less than ideal, but that could not be helped. For the time being, it was refreshing to be rid of all the violence he was unfortunately accustomed to.

Little did the sleeping monster know that his tranquility was about to be broken.

Three other monsters crept slowly toward him, crawling low to the ground. They gnashed their teeth and flexed their claws, intent on ambushing Godzilla and overpowering him in his sleep.

As they closed in, one of them slipped just enough to disturb a mound of red sand, creating a low rustling sound.

Godzilla's eyes snapped open!

In an instant, the three assailants were upon him, clawing and biting. Godzilla reared upright, trying to throw them off, but they clung to him with tremendous strength, one to his left leg, another to his right arm, and the third to his tail. They were so vicious and so powerful!

Godzilla staggered toward the center of the island, desperate to escape his opponents before they tore him to pieces. Each step was more laborious than the last, and it seemed that after many years he had finally met his match. He sank to his knees and collapsed onto his face, overwhelmed by the relentless assault.

As he lay motionless, Godzilla's attackers watched him closely in confusion. Had they, of all the mighty monsters in the world, felled the mightiest monster of them all? One of them stepped closer and poked Godzilla in the side, prompting from him a snorting growl - a kind of chuckle.

Godzilla's three grandchildren pounced on him again, and the big beasties rolled about playfully in the red sand, foregoing play fighting this time altogether in favor of poking and tickling.

The young monsters were the offspring of Godzilla's partial clone Zilla and Zilla's mate Komodithrax. As a result of Godzilla's unstable genes, each of the juvenile creatures had significantly different appearances. Gojirin was the spitting image of her grandfather save for her pink scales and rounded red dorsal plates, while Minilla had a rounder and stumpier build, his own spines little more than barely visible bumps against his smooth blue-grey skin. The bright green Godzooky had his grandfather's face, his father's conical spines, his mother's overall build, and one trait unique among his lineage: membranous wings on his forelimbs! They were not developed well enough yet to carry him far or fast, but he could glide well enough.

Godzilla and the little ones rolled playfully about, while the Seatopian Royal Dragons, Baragon and Mogu, watched in amusement. They had both helped in the raising of the young Godzillas, with Mogu giving Godzooky flying lessons while Baragon taught Gojirin and Minilla how to burrow. The most important lessons, of course, came from their grandfather. Their play fights were in preparation for real battle should they ever encounter it, although he hoped that need would never arise.

Far beneath the surface, Kumi Honda was also watching the Godzilla clan play through what the Seatopians called a Gem of Sight, a translucent orb of Muite crystal which allowed her to see wherever she wished. She chuckled at seeing the family patriarch pretend to be felled by his adorably feisty little hellspawn.

Minilla suddenly began to cough, and the rest of his family stopped playing to watch. The little grey lump of a beastie caught his breath, inhaled deeply, and opened his mouth wide. A ring of white smoke shot out of his mouth, traveling about the length of his arm before dissipating out of sight.

Godzilla seized Minilla in his arms and gave him the biggest bear hug the world had ever seen, and his siblings joined in enthusiastically, celebrating Minilla's first successful use of his atomic breath. Gojirin could emit a crimson spiral ray, while Godzooky had his father's green flame. Minilla had been much slower to gain this ability than either of them, and now his family was so very proud of him for making some clear progress. Minilla hiccupped and smiled bashfully.

Honda smiled, too, but the pride she felt was soon replaced by the same sense of dread that had dominated her thoughts ever since she was forced to flee the surface world several months earlier. She had kept watch over the doings of mankind above and the carnage wrought by this new world war. She had observed the terrible outcome of the Taipei battle through a Gem of Sight, and on this day, Honda requested an audience with Queen Salno and her advisors.

The Queen's meeting chamber was not particularly ornate, at least not compared to the lavish ornamentation that was standard throughout Seatopia. It could not even be truthfully called a throne room due to the lack of anything that rose above the level of merely a rather nice chair; the Queen's seat was no higher than anyone else's, and the table around which the chairs were placed was perfectly round to avoid placing any one individual at its head, emphasizing the belief that every person's contribution to discussion was equally valued.

To either side of her majesty sat her advisers Suton and Malmez; the former possessed an empathic connection to humanity at large, the latter clairvoyance and a more cynical outlook on the rest of the world. Also in attendance were two more denizens of the surface world, Nelliyattu and Coogler, former followers of the dark fairy Belvera who had led them to commit deeds for which they would not be easily forgiven by those above. Nelliyattu, like Honda, longed to return to the world they knew, but was less optimistic that doing so would ever be possible. Coogler was even more pessimistic and favored remaining hidden.

Queen Salno introduced the meeting herself. "Today, we meet to discuss the issue of the ongoing war between the nations of Earth. Honda, it is by your request that we have convened here. Please, begin."

Honda nodded and addressed the others. "As we have observed using the Gems of Sight, this war is rapidly escalating. Millions have already been killed, mostly civilians, and at this rate, tens of millions more will perish - unless nuclear weapons are used, in which case civilization as we know it may come to an end."

"As _you _know it," Malmez interjected. "This surface war poses no more threat to Seatopia than any previous one has."

Honda glared at him. "And what about the death and destruction caused above? Does their anguish mean nothing to you?"

Suton chimed in. "I must side with Honda. I can feel the fear that grips the world every night. I have never felt it so strongly before, even in that deadly conflict twenty years ago. I cannot bear to listen and do nothing. If we do not intervene…"

"Life will go on," said Malmez. "It always does. We have seen countless bloody conflicts throughout the millennia, and never have their losses been too grave for them to recover. China has been the site of wars leaving millions dead every five hundred years or so, but the nation has endured."

Nelliyattu now spoke. "But those deaths were not inevitable, and even now, we can take action to stop the carnage occurring."

Coogler grumbled something to himself.

"Speak up," said Salno. "I want to hear what you have to say."

Coogler groaned. "I really don't see _what _can be done. People are just violent. If we intervene now, there will just be more and more wars on into infinity. It makes no difference."

Nelliyattu scolded him. "That's easy for you to say! My parents were in Taipei during the battle, and now they're gone, along with most of the city!"

"My parents died, too. Twelve years ago. They were standing outside after dark when a cop saw them and went straight for his gun without a word. They weren't killed by giant monsters or enemy troops. No, shot by a cop ten feet from their own porch for no reason. He literally gave no reason. And that shit happens all the time! Do you think a world that works like that is going to learn? I say screw 'em all! I have nothing left to lose!"

Malmez nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Our efforts would be wasted on an ungrateful and stubborn world."

Honda clenched her fists. "And what about you? Wasn't it war that led to Seatopia's creation?"

"That it was," Suton concurred enthusiastically. "We learned our lesson, but only after suffering the grief of war ourselves. Even now, we are not so different from the rest of the world."

Malmez shook a disapproving finger. "All the more reason not to get involved. If we join in the fighting, we will simply be dragged back into the fray and again become a part of the scourge."

Nelliyattu was losing patience. "Fine! If not for their sake, do it for ours and yours. Nuclear weapons might still be used, and if they are, the oceans you still depend upon for water and sustenance will be poisoned by fallout. As long as we share the same planet, we will share the same fate."

Malmez chuckled. "We need not fear the nuclear fire. I have foreseen no such outcome."

Suton countered defiantly, "Then tell us what you _do _see, soothsayer! Well? Speak! Has your tongue turned to stone? Ah, yes, that's right. Shall I tell our new friends what your powers are really good for, or would you prefer to do the honors yourself?"

Malmez cleared his throat. "What dear Suton means is that my foresight is based on projected probability based on all known factors."

"Known to you, that is," Suton clarified for him. "The Gems of Sight and my telepathy allow us to see much, but there is no accounting for the unknown."

"Suton, have I ever made a prediction that was wrong before?"

"Strictly speaking, no, but you have failed more than once to foresee the real outcome. Maybe this won't end in nuclear war, but you can't tell us for certain that the surface dwellers won't find some other means of scarring the Earth."

Malmez folded his arms. "Let them. Maybe we can take it back from them once they've self-destructed."

Suton gawked at him in disgust. Nelliyattu shouted, "Those are our loved ones you're talking about, you monster!"

Malmez jumped to his feet. "Call me 'monster,' will you? Well, I see in you a foolish child! A naive idiot!"

Honda had more that she yearned to say, but did not get a chance. Queen Salno raised her hands and called for silence. "That is enough. I expected that emotions would run high, but I had not expected this meeting to be so counterproductive. I propose that we close this meeting for today, allow a night's rest to cool our tempers, and reconvene tomorrow to discuss this matter with the maturity and objectivity it requires."

The assembly responded with reluctant sighs and displeased murmurs, but none argued in favor of continuing. The meeting ended with plenty of resentment but no indications of progress having been made.

After leaving the meeting, Honda decided to visit her friend Keiko, whose psychic visions she placed slightly more faith in than the dubious prophecies of Malmez. Indeed, Honda had wanted to bring that up in the meeting but was reluctant to lead with it. Despite how welcoming the Seatopians had been, it was clear that many of them were more concerned with maintaining their nation's autonomy than the survival of the outside world. Even the kind and thoughtful queen saw the war as so far removed that addressing it could wait until another day.

Honda had not yet reached Keiko's chamber when she felt a powerful psychic disturbance. She sometimes felt it when Keiko entered one of her trances and saw visions, but judging by its intensity, Honda knew that it was something frightening for her. She raced to the chamber and saw her young friend writhing on the floor. Honda placed her right hand over her tear-shaped Muite pendant and held her left out toward Keiko, channeling calming psychic energy. As Keiko's breathing slowed and her spasms subsided, Honda leaned close and whispered, "It's okay. I'm here. Calm down."

Keiko opened her eyes, trembling and sobbing. "Something's coming! I don't know what it is, but something's coming!"

"Shh, shh. It's okay. What happened?"

"I saw…I saw cities burning, people screaming, black clouds…and _something _golden soaring across the sky!"

Keiko was overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of her vision. Honda laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You need to rest. You can tell me about it later."

As she watched Keiko drift off to sleep from the exhaustion of her ordeal, Honda thought back to the argument over Malmez's prediction. Was he wrong and this was an impending nuclear holocaust? Or was this something else, like Belvera up to her usual old tricks again?

* * *

Meanwhile, something was very wrong on Infant Island.

For months, the people of the island had waited excitedly for the cocoons of the Mothra twins, Ame and Take, to burst open and reveal the beautiful imagoes within. However, during the final days of pupation, one of them began showing strange signs. The powdery white silk strands of the male Take's cocoon flaked away bit by bit, replaced by black scales and violet crystal shards. While his sister Ame seemed to be developing normally and giving off warm energy, Take gave off tremendous, pulsating power, but no psychic reading, as if his mind was gone.

After watching the process for months, Lora confronted her sister Mona. "You know something about this, don't you?"

"About what?"

"About Mothra Take! Something has taken over him. A disease or a curse, it seems. All eyes are on the cocoons…all but yours. You know. Tell me."

Mona sighed and sat down in her meditation spot at the apex of the pyramid. "Belvera has infused Take with the power of her Batorite crystals."

Lora gasped. "Mothra protect us! What are they doing to him?"

"Belvera's will is changing his form, turning him into something else. A new line of Mothra to bring balance to this world."

"Balance? You mean destruction! What has gotten into you?"

"Lora, my lovely sister, surely you can't be blind to what is happening. The world is sick and dying from the plague of war. We cannot allow the Earth to die. The Great Moths will go out into the world to secure our future. Ame will be the light of peace, and Take will bring swift justice to those who willfully violate that peace."

Lora backed away slowly, shaking her head in disbelief. "Mona…this isn't you! You're talking just like Belvera!"

"No, no! Belvera is overzealous; I know that much. But she is not mad, and we ought to recognize the truth in what she says. We should stop trying to deter Belvera's rage and instead give it direction. We have a chance to make up for all the times we did nothing while the humans…"

Their argument was interrupted by a deafening rumble. The Wise Ones looked from their perch to the ledge whereupon the cocoons sat. Take's was crumbling apart, unleashing streams of white fire as it did so. From out of the burning mess flew Take, nearly unrecognizable as a Great Moth. His body was covered not by soft white fuzz but with a hard black exoskeleton reminiscent of obsidian. His eyes were not baby blue but a burning red, glaring above jagged mandibles and below a crown of golden horns. His wings bore the same red and yellow patterns as his mother's, yet these too had a jaggedness to them and appeared almost reptilian.

Lora and Mona called to Take, but he could not hear them. He only heard the voice of Belvera, calling to him from afar. "Rise, Battra! Fly to your mistress! The time has come for you to fight!"

The black moth's wings made a humming sound like steel beams swung through the air as he flew straight up and took off like a shot, creating powerful wind gusts that knocked all the onlookers below off their feet.

Lora dropped to her knees and wept at the sight of the beautiful moth corrupted into a monster. Mona only watched with silent apprehension. She reasoned that Belvera must not have intended total destruction due to her having left Ame's cocoon to develop normally. This was not the end of the world, but a new beginning.

* * *

An unnamed island midway between mainland China and Taiwan was the site of the operational headquarters for the Garuda Alliance, the army of several allied Asian countries led by China. No troops had yet been deployed; the war was still being fought almost exclusively by monsters and machines. Therefore, the main purpose of Garuda HQ was to monitor and direct the activity of the Dragma.

Professor Fang was the one responsible for creating these monsters, but they were unable to control them using the same devices that Fang had used during her time working with Mister Arkoff; he had sabotaged the technology so that only the Russians could use it. Instead, they had found a different means to control the Dragma: Derrick Cramer, a former follower of Belvera who left her out of fear and was now working with the Garuda for profit. The Dragma had been engineered to have negligible willpower or self-preservation instincts, allowing them to be easily controlled by Cramer, who retained his Batorite pendant and with it the psychic powers Belvera had bestowed upon him.

Little did any of them know, however, that Cramer's betrayal had in fact played right into Belvera's hands. She could read his mind without his knowing and thus had learned how to decimate Garuda with one fell swoop.

A radar monitor called out to General Wu, "Unidentified flying object approaching from the East. Distance: 400 kilometers. Speed: 3000 kilometers per hour."

"Size?" asked Wu.

"100 meters wide. Movement pattern suggests a creature. Speed increasing to 3500 kilometers per hour."

Wu looked to Fang and Cramer. "You know what to do."

Fang nodded. "Units 11 through 15. Mister Cramer?"

"On it." Cramer tapped his Batorite pendant, and far away, five Dragma took formation and made a beeline for the approaching threat.

Battra, however, was no ordinary opponent. He sensed the Dragma before he saw them. His eyes lit up purple, emitting beams of Batorite energy that traveled faster than light. Even from such a long distance, Battra could target the Dragma with perfect accuracy, and the speed of the energy attacks made them impossible to avoid.

The foes were 100 kilometers apart when they began their advance on each other. That distance had shrunk to just over 50 when the first Dragma was cut to ribbons by Batorite beams. Fang had designed them to regenerate, but Battra's attacks completely destroyed their target. The remaining Dragma had barely realized what was happening when the second attack came and another of their number fell. Then a third, then a fourth. The fifth had finally come close enough to see its quarry and opened its mouth to unleash an energy attack of its own, but a Batorite bolt when straight down its throat, burning the monster to a crisp from the inside out.

Cramer felt their lives end, but still did not realize just what had killed them. "General, I…they're all gone! The Dragma, they're dead!"

Fang gawked at him. "How could that be? Our enemies haven't killed a single one of them so far!"

Wu inquired, "Did you see it? What was it? Jet Jaguar? Another monster?"

"I saw it, but…" Cramer shuddered. "But I didn't recognize it. It was like a giant black moth."

"General!" the radar monitor called out. "Target is 100 kilometers out and still heading directly toward us!"

Wu hid his fear with a defiant glare. "Activate all plasma cannon and prepare to fire as soon as the target is in range!"

The order had barely left his lips when the first Batorite bolt found it mark. The gun batteries were wiped out before they could fire. The rest of the base followed suit.

Battra arrived over the island once it was already charred beyond recognition. Only a handful of survivors remained amongst the wreckage of the base, including Fang and Cramer. The latter looked up in horror as three figures, one small but to him intensely frightening, floated down from atop Battra and straight toward him.

Belvera grinned maliciously at her apostate from the back of her new steed, a winged cat-like creature composed of pure Batorite. "Hello, Derrick. I see you found your own use for the powers I gave you."

Cramer fell to his weakened knees and grovelled before the dark fairy. "Please, Belvera! I was afraid! I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, spare me! Even Mavia didn't make such a miserable little display of herself before I snuffed her out. You served your purpose, and now I am done with you. Krystalak!"

Belvera's steed spewed forth a torrent of crystal energy; on contact with it, Cramer's body shattered into crystalline dust which slowly drifted to the ground, reflecting blood red amongst the fires of the base. Belvera's two remaining followers were present alongside her; one, a man, stepped forward to retrieve Cramer's pendant from amongst the dust.

Fang watched from behind a standing portion of wall and gasped in horror. Belvera, sensing her presence, directed Krystalak to disintegrate the debris between them with another crystal beam. Fang, exposed and vulnerable, froze in place.

"Don't be shy!" said Belvera with a sickly sweet smile. "I know who you are. You sold Antonio the Batorite."

Fang had long since dismissed Antonio and the Seekers as a bunch of crazy cultists. The idea that they were actually onto something seemed so preposterous that her brain simply rejected it. So staggered and stunned was her facial expression already that this final mind-blowing detail elicited only a pronounced blink.

Again Belvera chuckled. "Yes, it's a lot to take in. This is not an everyday encounter, at least not in this world as you've known it. Very well, I'll give you the short version: I'm here to make it all end. War. Nations. Politics. All the forces of division and human strife that you have callously profited by. Don't despair; you may profit by the change I bring, as well, if you only join me."

The male follower approached Fang, holding out the amulet for her to take. Fang looked at the thing with uncertainty. She raised her eyes toward him and saw a face she recognized. At first she thought the smoke, flame, and ash in the air, combined with the confusion of the entire scene, was playing a trick on her vision, but gradually she realized that the man was in fact Doctor Adam Yuma. What was such a renowned philanthropist and pacifist doing in the company of what she could only guess at being a god of destruction?

Deciding that she had to know more, Fang took the pendant between two fingers but did not remove the necklace from Yuma's grasp. As she touched it, her mind was flooded with psychic visions. Fang saw the entirety of Belvera's plan. Though the fairy claimed to have come to end war, this was hardly the case. With the aid of Battra and any other forces she could rally to her side, Belvera would wage the bloodiest war Earth had ever seen, wiping out entire cities or nations if the need came, until every opposing voice had been silenced. That humanity would fight this conquest until they lacked the resources and manpower to fight was accounted for in the plan; it would ensure that everything they had built would be wiped out, sending them back to the stone age. In effect, Belvera meant to revert the world to a blank slate.

Fang released her grip on the pendant with a cry of grief and disgust. Belvera and her followers looked at her in surprise, especially Yuma, who had known her only to be cruel and greedy. However, Belvera soon came to understand; she felt in Fang's soul a love for the world that she occupied. She may have contributed to the chaos of war and gained by it, but in the face of the annihilation of everything she knew, that love in Fang's soul awoke with a defiant scream. The so-called mad scientist would have no part in this scheme.

For a moment, Belvera considered blasting Fang out of existence as she had done to Cramer, but she hesitated. If such love could exist in so black a heart, then was the world in such a dire place as Belvera imagined? Was the violence she planned truly necessary? Was there another way? Yuma's thoughts were similarly captivated, and he began for the first time since his last encounter with Honda to doubt his decided course.

As Belvera tried to reach a decision as to what action to take, she suddenly became aware of a presence far above her, a spacetime disturbance outside the Earth's atmosphere. The nature of the phenomenon dawned on her presently, and she forgot her momentary dilemma. Motioning toward her followers, she told them, "Come with me. We must attend to other matters." She looked toward Professor Fang, still in a state of shock, and decided to let her be, at least for now.

Belvera flew into the sky, followed by Battra and her followers, although Yuma stayed a moment longer than the rest, undone by the depth of real pain in his old enemy's eyes. Even as he took flight, he could not shake the guilt and doubt that had come over him. He missed his friend Kumi and wanted to see her again, to find solace in her company…but was it too late for that?

Yuma and Belvera's other remaining follower, Velázquez, formed energy shields around themselves as they passed through the atmosphere behind their leader and her pet monsters. As the air dissipated and they could see into space, Yuma was shocked to see what was waiting for them just beyond Earth's atmosphere: an interdimensional rift, held open by a glowing energy field, and emerging from it, a multitude of alien spaceships.

Belvera's reaction was one of mere irritation. She had expected this to happen, but had hoped it would not be so soon. Oh, well. Her plans would simply need adjusting to accommodate this turn of events.


	2. Old Friends & New Enemies

Honda was beginning to fall asleep at Keiko's side when the younger sprang to her feet and roused her urgently. "Kumi! Get up, Kumi! It's happening!"

"What?"

"Get up already!"

"Okay, okay, I'm up! What do you mean, 'It's happening'?"

"My vision! Come on, we have to go to the queen and tell her about it!"

Honda still did not comprehend what Keiko was going on about, but she eagerly accompanied her to Salno's pyramid all the same. Honda looked around her as they went, and could see that the Muite lining the immense cave had changed in the color of its luminescence; from whence usually shone a calming tangerine hue, now emitted a sickly darker shade of orange, like the ruddy light of a chemical fire. Perhaps it was the light that made Seatopia feel so disquieting at the time, or maybe it was some change in the change in the energy of the stones.

When they arrived at the queen's pyramid, they found that a crowd had developed around, shouting over each other and jostling to get a glimpse of the council chamber. Evidently, something extraordinary had taken place and the people of Seatopia were demanding an explanation.

A guard spotted Honda and pushed his way through the crowd toward her; taking her by the arm, he led her up the stairs into the audience chamber. Keiko watched with a dire expression, knowing that she was unlikely to be similarly invited in due to Malmez's disdain for her clairvoyant abilities.

The queen and her advisors were already seated at the council table when Honda entered. Salno stood and beckoned to her. "Friend Honda, come in! Have you heard about what is happening?"

Honda shook her head as she took a seat. "Only that something is apparently happening. What, though? Why is everyone so shaken up?"

A stalactite of Muite hung over the table, chiseled into a smooth downward-pointing cone. Salno gestured strangely in its direction, and the stalactite lit up, projecting onto the table an image of the rift opening above the planet.

Honda was dumbstruck by the sight. "What is that? Some kind of portal?"

Salno nodded. "It is the Dimension Tide, a device developed for instantaneous interstellar travel."

"Developed by who? Aliens?"

"Aliens," said Malmez, "and the ancient people of Nirai-Kanai. It was once common for all of them to travel back and forth to each other's worlds."

Honda recalled what she had been told by Lora on Infant Island. "Hasn't Earth been closed off since the diaspora?"

"Correct," said Suton, "and the generator was destroyed when they left, but it seems that the generator on Mars is still intact."

"The question," said Malmez, "is who opened the other end of the rift, and why?"

Suton shot him a glare. "Why don't you tell us, prophet? Or have your powers again failed you?"

Malmez glared back. Honda spoke up, "Keiko had a vision earlier. The details weren't clear, but it sounds like she might have foreseen this."

Before Malmez had a chance to reiterate his contempt for the outsider, Salno called back the guard and ordered him to bring Keiko in. Malmez slumped in his seat, looking absolutely livid. Honda could tell that whatever was troubling him went far beyond simple mistrust.

Keiko anxiously recounted her vision in as much detail as she could recall. "I saw something like that image. Those ships - I _think _they're ships, right? - they attacked all over the Earth, and the skies were blotted out by smoke and flame."

Malmez scoffed. "Absurd. I recognize some of those ships from our archives. These races were our allies once. Why would they attack now?"

"Desperation," countered Suton. "I can feel it in their hearts. The universe is dying and they're seeking refuge here."

"There was something else, too," said Keiko. "Something golden that would come after the aliens. I remember hearing its name, but it escapes me now."

Again Malmez spoke dismissively. "My queen, these are the ramblings of a child. Pay them no heed."

Salno shook her head. "I cannot ignore what I am seeing before me. They're here, and they don't exactly look peaceful in that formation..."

* * *

Belvera and her followers came to a stop about a kilometer away from the line of starships. There were eight huge main ships, some surrounded by smaller support vessels, varying in appearance to the degree that some were incomprehensible to Yuma and Velázquez. Belvera waved her staff, and eight violet holograms appeared before her showing the leader aboard each ship. One of them, a green-skinned ape in a silver jumpsuit, addressed the dark fairy: "Belvera, my old friend! We have returned!"

Belvera rolled her eyes. Velázquez whispered, "Who are they?"

"Eight miserable races of aliens," Belvera explained. "Bilusaludo, Xilien, Dianii, Kilaak, Garoga, Natarl, Takions, and…forgive me, but what do you call yourselves again?"

She spoke to a humanoid male wearing a red helmet and cloak over a billowy white jumpsuit, which seemed to have been hermetically sealed at the gloves, boots, and around the base of the helmet; not a trace of his physical anatomy was visible under this curious garb. "We are the Mysterians," he explained, "for we remember not our homeworld."

"Ah. Right. Now, what brings such a motley crew as this to my planet?" Belvera asked snidely, as though she had not immediately discerned their purpose.

The Garoga Emperor bellowed from under his frightening crimson mask, "We have come to lay claim to this planet! My people require new territory!"

Belvera rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. And the rest of you, too?"

One of the alien leaders wore a hooded white robe, coated in fine diamond-like dust, that concealed her entire form; only a pair of glowing blue eyes were visible from beneath her hood. Around her stood a circle of similarly-clad feminine beings. The leader spoke in a silky smooth voice. "You know that we Kilaak, and the others as well, have been deprived of our homes and forced to wander-"

Belvera interjected furiously, "Deprived! Forced! You always choose your words so carefully, Lady Bosh'to. If I recall, it was your wild experiments with powers you did not understand that caused the destruction of your world. And was it not the same for all the rest of you?" Belvera pointed accusingly at each of them in turn. "Xiliens with pollution, Takions with biological engineering, Nataarl with weather experiments, and the rest of you by fighting amongst yourselves!"

"Not us!" chimed in the Dianii captain, a massive toad-like brute. "We Dianii choose to wander the stars in search of worthy quarry to hunt, and this planet offers plenty!"

"That's not better," Belvera said, shaking her head. "I mean, at least you're honest about being here to pillage and plunder my beloved planet, but still…"

The Xilien Controller gesticulated robotically while entoning calmly, "You are correct that we have brought this fate upon ourselves. However, we hope that you understand how we have suffered in the void of space. We, the people formerly of Planet X, are desperate for a new home. If you grant us refuge, we will not take it for granted. We are willing to abide by any terms you place on us."

"As are we," said the Mysterian leader. "We ask only for enough territory in which to erect our environmental dome. We would be content even with a remote region."

Belvera rubbed her chin. She pondered the situation carefully, trying not to let her skepticism blind her to the aliens' plight.

The Chairman of the diminutive Natarl spoke with a surprisingly cavernous voice. "We would actually prefer Mars. The temperature and gravity are preferable for us, and the atmosphere could be made suitable to our needs."

Lady Bosh'to added, "We Kilaak wish to live on Venus. We will not trespass on your territory."

The bug-like Takion King sneered. "We have not come here to parley but to take. Earth will be ours, whether you wish it or not."

The Garoga Emperor retorted, "Never! Garoga are masters of all we see, and our eyes have been on Earth for millennia!"

"Stand aside, you barbarian scum!"

"You will witness for yourselves how barbarian Garoga can be!"

Belvera trained her staff on the Garoga warship. "Enough, both of you!"

The Takion King ignored her and barked orders to his crew in a strange language. His hologram disappeared and the ship lurched forward with a groan, intent on pushing right past Belvera. Instead, she waved her staff and Battra unleashed his energy beams, punching a giant hole in the hull of the Takion's ship. The artificial atmosphere within was sucked out, along with many of the inhabitants. Hull integrity failed one deck at a time, everything combustible aboard bursting into flame, leaving the ship a lifeless wreck.

The Garoga Emperor's motionless mask could not hide the fear in his posture and tone. "Point taken, dark one. State your terms."

Belvera chuckled slyly. "Very well. You have my permission to reside on Earth, provided you're willing to help me clean up a little."

The Xilien Controller resumed his strange gestures. "An intriguing suggestion. Please, elaborate."

"You see, the current inhabitants of Earth take their home for granted. My followers and I had intended to beat some sense into them, but the process would move much more quickly if I had all of you on my side."

The Bilusaludo Chief smirked. "A chance to fight!"

The Garoga Emperor cackled from behind his mask. "A chance for glorious conquest again!"

The captain of the Dianii hunters grinned and stroked the tremendous gun attached to his belt. "A chance to hunt worthy quarry, perhaps?"

"Not so fast!" snapped Belvera. "You must not repeat their mistake, or your own past mistakes, or you will suffer the fullest extent of my wrath. You have traveled long and far to find a new home, but I will not hesitate to drive you out if you disrespect this new home. Bear in mind that this may be your last hope! So, will you do as I have asked?"

In unison, the alien leaders nodded, cheered, growled, or reluctantly muttered their agreement, all save Lady Bosh'to. "We Kilaak do not wish to fight. We oppose the use of violence."

Belvera glared at her. "But do you mean to oppose us?"

Bosh'to hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. "No. We will not interfere in your business if you grant us access to Venus."

The Natarl Chairman added, "We will need trade with Earth until Mars has been properly terraformed. In the interest of mutual good will, I offer my services toward your campaign."

Belvera beamed. "Superb! Then let us begin!"

As the alien ships plunged into Earth's atmosphere, one after the other, Yuma watched in great distress. Only now, toward the end of his mission, had he come to truly regret joining the dark fairy, for he did not share her trust in the invaders one bit.

* * *

Queen Salno and her company observed in the projection the ships descending and spreading out around the Earth, their speed suggesting an intent to attack. Malmez stood and bellowed, "Outrageous! What do they think they're doing?"

Suton shook her head. "Exactly what we warned you they came here to do."

Malmez was about to let loose an indignant retort when Honda slammed both fists on the table hard enough to leave small cracks. "God dammit, we can't just sit here arguing! We have to do something!"

All eyes turned to the queen. Salno hung her head. "There's nothing we can do."

Honda stared at her, stunned silent.

Salno continued, "Our warriors have not known war for millennia. They are not killers. It is more likely that they would be killed in open warfare. But if we lay low…"

Keiko covered her eyes and began to sob. Honda forgot for a moment that she was addressing royalty and raised her voice. "No! You don't know what they'll do!"

"I _do _know, for one thing, that Belvera allowed you and your friends to leave in peace. She may well extend that peace to the rest of us if we don't interfere. If we do, our losses will be catastrophic."

"But what if she comes for us? What if they attack Seatopia?"

Malmez folded his arms and rested in his seat, a look of triumph on his face. "Then we fight them on our own terms. For now, our queen has spoken."

Suton balled up her hands into fists. Although Honda at first expected her to lash out against the haughty Malmez, she realized that this anger was of a different kind. Suton was connected telepathically to the rest of the world, and in that moment, she was flooded with one overpowering emotion that had swept through the minds of every human on Earth:

Fear.

* * *

The attack occurred swiftly and viciously on multiple fronts simultaneously, pummeling the people of Earth into submission. The first targets were the major capitals of the world: New Dehli, Beijing, Tokyo, Moscow, London, and Washington, DC, among others. Earth's armies were helpless to resist the attacks, whether they faced the Natarl absolute zero cannon, the Mysterian death ray, the Bilusaludos' anti-matter missiles, or the Xiliens' plasma beams.

The primary obstacle for the invaders to overcome was the army of monsters and mechs fighting all over the planet. The job of eliminating them was split between the Dianii and the Garoga. The alien game hunters handled the mutant creations of Professor Fang and the various monsters controlled via mechanical or chemical means by other factions. Each was killed with ease by the expert hunters, their bodies dismembered and trophies made of their bones, horns, plumage, hides, and other parts.

Meanwhile, a massive battle was already in progress on Opono Island, a pivotal contested site of the Pacific theater. The attacking American-Japanese forces had deployed Jet Jaguar, All-Terraintula, and Cybersaur to take the base from Kong and Titanosaurus. News of the invasion had not reached the combatants because communications had been largely cut off during the initial attack, so they continued to fight until the Garoga arrived, ready to join in.

The Garoga had four monsters of their own, called the Terror Beasts, which had been grown from organic material cultured in their laboratories and fitted with a variety of onboard weapons and gadgets. Garoborg, Detragon, Jikiro, and Zandora defied easy description, each an inscrutable jumble of different alien organisms and machine parts, but this made them all the more effectively terrifying to their opponents.

Once the Terror Beasts entered the fray, it became clear almost immediately that they were the superior war machines. The Earth mecha and cyborgs were the result of millennia-old hardware reverse engineered by a technologically inferior civilization, whereas the Terror Beasts were cutting edge tech by the most advanced weapon makers in the universe. The conflict was settled as quickly as if it had been between chariots and gunships. Only two Earth defenders were spared: Kong and Jet Jaguar, both taken by the Terror Beasts to be assimilated into their ranks.

Within five hours of the invasion's commencement, the human death toll surpassed 100 million. World leaders fell one after another, and every government was in such disarray as to be functionally nonexistent. The invasion became an occupation, the defending armies became scattered pockets of resistance, aliens became the new rulers of the Earth. It seemed that all was over but the shouting.

* * *

Belvera's sisters felt the immense and terrible psychic disturbance that accompanied the mass death around the world. Lora collapsed on the stone floor in the apex chamber, too shocked to cry or shake; she just stared into space, her face frozen in disbelief. Mona could not bear to look her in the eyes. She still agreed to some extent with Belvera that humanity could not be trusted with the Earth, but she had hoped that they would be convinced by her show of force to surrender. This invasion put an end to any chance for a peaceful resolution, and Mona did not share Belvera's belief that the aliens would have been humbled by their time in the void enough not to abuse their new home.

* * *

Godzilla and his grandchildren could feel the disturbance, too, but none of them could quite understand what was happening; they only understood that it was something terrible, and that billions of living creatures were crying out in pain together. Desperately and unsuccessfully trying to calm his frightened little ones, Godzilla called out to Honda far below. _"My friend! My friend! What is happening?"_

Honda, meanwhile, understood fully what was happening and felt all the more helpless for it. She had taken Keiko back to their room, where the two of them embraced in a corner while the younger sobbed uncontrollably. Not wanting to betray her own profound dread and thereby worsen Keiko's already vulnerable emotional state, Honda put on a brave face and tried to think of some comforting thing to say, but nothing came to her. She could not in good faith promise that everything would be alright, either for them or for the outside world, and trying to put a positive spin on such a calamity or even offer the most token of platitudes felt at best disingenuous and at worst callus. It was the end of the world as they knew it, and Honda had nothing to say.

* * *

Queen Salno, Suton, and Malmez remained in the council chamber, watching the planet-wide battle draw to a close. Once the chaotic movement ceased in the crystal projection of the surface world, the deceptive stillness was unnerving, as though the world had settled into a new permanent state that was corrupted and unnatural. Both women were mortified by what they saw, but Malmez, while not necessarily happy, was relieved that it was over. "That is that," he remarked coldly, waving a hand across the stone table and causing the projection to disappear. "My Queen, I am sorry that you had to see such violence, but is all over now, and we no longer have to live in fear of the surface dwellers' destructive foolhardiness."

Suton jumped to her feet, glaring at Malmez with enough intensity to melt titanium. Salno motioned for her to remain silent and return to her seat.

Malmez smirked. "Pity, Suton? Pity for such worthless and ungrateful-"

"Enough!" barked Salno. "There may be truth to your accusations against humanity, but do not conflate my reluctance to join in a global war with your sheer pigheaded contemptuousness!"

Malmez opened his mouth to retort, but thought better of it and left the chamber without another word. Suton just barely managed to restrain herself from spitting on him as he walked by. "Queen Salno," she muttered angrily once he had gone, "must you keep such a cruel man as an advisor? Are there not more qualified people in this kingdom?"

"Perhaps. You are right that he can be harsh at times. I have tolerated him up to this point because I thought his different point of view was worth considering, but if he continues to speak so cruelly, he will need to be replaced."

* * *

Keiko eventually ran out of tears and breath to continue crying. Her heaving sobs gave way to soft whimpering, but still she clung tightly to Honda, who at last allowed a single tear to trickle down her cheek. Both of them looked up as two figures entered their room: Nelliyattu, who was clearly affecting bravery just like Honda, and Coogler, who looked like he had been crying even more profusely than Keiko. There was no need for words. They were all on the same page about what they had allowed to transpire. Even Coogler had seen the error in his thinking. The four surface dwellers silently converged on a single idea:

Retribution!


	3. After the Fall

Belvera maintained telepathic communication with every leader of the New Earth Territories, closely monitoring their activity out of concern that they would begin abusing their new home. The first troubling signs appeared upon almost immediately after their takeover. Only the Xiliens showed any interest in sustainability, having seized India's agricultural territories and coerced its people into showing them their farming methods.

The Mysterians, during their many years in space, had constructed a massive dome which they now erected near Mount Fuji. This dome maintained atmospheric conditions in which they could live without the need for their life support suits; specifically, they needed warm, humid air. Maintaining these conditions content required drawing nearly all of the water vapor from the air around the dome. At the current rate of absorption, the region's water cycle would be severely disrupted within months, and the entire ecosystem of Japan would be in a dire state within only a few years.

The Garoga took Opono Island for their own. They set right to pillaging the waters around the island, reaping aquatic plants and hunting sea creatures en masse. These aliens were voracious and relentless, taking what they wanted today with no thought for tomorrow. It was only a matter of time before they would need to expand their hunting grounds and prey on all life in the Pacific Ocean.

The Bilusaludo wanted not merely to farm but to do so with livestock and crops similar to those they had on their homeworld. In particular, they were fond of rapidly-growing Filius weed and draconic animals called Servum, both of which they preferred to raise free range in the vast expanses of Russia's boreal forests. These invasive species posed a massive threat to the country's already fragile natural resources; all other plants and wildlife would either become prey or be driven out.

After hunting down all of the giant monsters they could find, the Dianii wanted access to new hunting grounds. They came to Belvera, who had taken up residence on Oshima Island, to make their request what to them seemed a simple request, but which she did not take lightly.

"The Adonas?!" Belvera shouted in disbelief. "Absolutely not! That is the one place you must not touch!"

Captain Stroid nonchalantly removed his one prosthetic eye from its socket and began fidgeting with its electronics. Despite being twenty meters tall and therefore far more massive compared to Belvera than humans already were, the alien hunter knew better than to anger her; his tone was therefore measured, neither pleading nor demanding. "Come now, dark one. You did not reject any of the others' requests for territory. Why, the Bilusaludo have taken half a continent for themselves! Surely-"

"The Adonas are off limits! Those islands are too important to this planet for me to permit you to treat them like a private game reserve."

"Why do I get the feeling that there's just a particularly enticing trophy there that you don't want to share with us?"

Belvera fired a bolt from her staff that disintegrated Stroid's false eye just as he was starting to reinsert it. The Dianii captain's two most experienced hunters, Bowmaster and Trapmaster, had been watching nearby when, seeing this, they moved as though to rush the dark fairy. However, when she snapped her fingers, a purple light flashed across the sky and Battra appeared overhead, stopping the aliens in their tracks with a cold glare.

"Make no mistake," said Belvera, sounding calmer, "you are but temporary guests here. You said yourself that you came here only to hunt game. I won't let you jeopardize my planet for your own amusement."

Stroid sneered. "So be it. Just one more request, then: where is this 'king of monsters' we've heard so much about?"

"Who?"

"The people of this planet speak of a king among monsters. I think they call him...God-o-saurus?"

"Ah! That would be Godzilla. He certainly lives up to the title. Unfortunately, I don't know where exactly he has gone to recently. Maybe you could put those hunting skills to the test tracking him down? I can't guarantee how long this new situation can last if he remains unaccounted for."

Captain Stroid produced another prosthetic eye from a pouch on his belt and inserted it into the vacant eye socket. "It would be our pleasure. Back to the ship, men!"

The Dianii were unaware as they departed that the Garoga Emperor had been listening in on their conversation by means of a microscopic drone. When their homeworld began to crumble, the Emperor ordered Castle Terror, his personal fortress, to be transported in its entirety within their starship, and its preservation over the near millennium they had been spacebound had been costly but successful. Garoga were functionally immortal and virtually unkillable, hence their disregard for other life, and it was therefore the same Emperor who now sat on the throne of Castle Terror, newly erected on Opono Island, and let out a deep, malicious laugh as he heard the end of Stroid and Belvera's conversation. "If those brutes really want a challenge," he said, continuing to chuckle, "they need only ask us, and we will unleash our Terror Beasts against them!"

Again the Emperor laughed ferociously, accompanied obediently this time by a dozen gold-masked Garoga Barons. The Barons shared the Emperor's bloodlust but also feared it, for he had been known to disintegrate his subordinates on a whim if they displeased him.

The Emperor stopped laughing and raised up a fist, securing silence from the room. "This Godzilla sounds like a worthy opponent for our Terror Beasts. The Dianii could not hope to kill it with their primitive hunting tools, but they might weaken it first and thus make it too easy for our Terror Beasts to defeat, so we must find Godzilla first!"

The Barons nodded and grumbled in vague agreement. At some level, they knew that the Emperor's claim that the Dianii would "weaken" their kill was only a cover for concern that the hunters really could rob them of their kill, but they suppressed those thoughts. It did not do well do point out the insecurities of such a powerful and violent leader.

They were joined a moment later by a Garoga scientist in a white mask and yellow cape. "My lord," he said upon entering the control room, bowing his head toward the emperor, "repairs to our new Terror Beast have been completed. Shall we deploy him to hunt for Godzilla?"

The Emperor chuckled and shook his head. "Let him save his strength. When Godzilla is located, then we will grant him the revenge he seeks."

Mister Arkoff had never been a particularly patriotic man, so when the Bilusaludo began eliminating the USSR's leaders in order to take over the region, he was content to survive by capitulating to the demands of the aliens. In exchange for facilitating the transition and providing valuable intel to the invaders, he was offered greater power and a share in the spoils.

* * *

The day after the invasion, Arkoff stood with Bilusaludo Chief Koru-el Numo-ra overseeing the deployment of troops in powered armor Vulture Suits against one of the few remaining pockets of resistance in Russia. The resistance soldiers had gathered in an abandoned base in the far eastern region, established years before specifically for countermeasures against then-frequent raids by Meganula swarms. As the Bilusaludo force began their offensive, soldiers came pouring out from the base, but most of them were rapidly cut down by energy beams emitted from the Vultures.

Numo-ra watched the fight while puffing on a long cigar, a pleasure to which Arkoff had introduced him. "I must say, Mister Arkoff, these 'smokes' are a delight! There's something poetic about smoke, isn't there? It is a sign of change. Fire wipes away the old, but it rises in the smoke and joins the air. The past is destroyed, but it never dies; it lives on, even if we don't clearly see it."

As the battle died down, smoke billowed out from the burning base, darkening the bright noon sky.

Numo-ra gestured toward the dark caustic cloud. "Think of it this way, inventor: your world hasn't been destroyed, merely converted."

The exo-suited Bilusaludo warriors dragged a uniformed officer in shackles from the wreckage and dropped them down on their knees at Numo-ra and Arkoff's feet. The prisoner glared up at his fellow earthling, eyes burning with hatred. "Arkoff, you bastard! You sold us out!"

Arkoff smirked. "General Tcherepnin! You seem surprised - almost as surprised as I was when you reached out to me for help after trying to have me locked up." He turned his face to Numo-ra. "May I do the honors?"

The alien chief chuckled and handed Arkoff his sidearm. Arkoff took aim and fired a single shot into Tcherepnin's chest. There was a short crackling noise, almost like corn popping, and Tcherepnin collapsed silently onto his side, smoke billowing from his nose and mouth as his internal organs burned.

Arkoff handed Numo-ra his weapon back with a chuckle. "If you'll forgive me for saying so, sometimes smoke really does just mean death."

Numo-ra said nothing, nor did he holster his gun. Another armored soldier approached carrying a limp figure, which Arkoff recognized at once as Professor Fang. Numo-ra pointed. "Is that her?"

"Yes. If I recall, Tcherepnin said she came to him looking to form an alliance with the remains of the Garuda forces."

The soldier lowered Fang to the ground. It was clear at once that she was dead. Her eyes were wide open, lulling lifelessly around, and a copious amount of blood had trickled down her chin. Arkoff recognized the effects of a suicide capsule. The fear of being captured and enslaved by the invaders had apparently been too much.

Numo-ra shook his head, showing only the most mild disappointment. "Pity. The Controller had wanted so badly to get his hands on her. I suppose I'll just have to inform him that we were too late."

"Still," said Arkoff, "I'd call this a good day's work. Where to now?"

"Depends," said Numo-ra. "Do you know the location of any other resistance fighters?"

"Me? No. And I doubt that any others will reach out to me after Tcherepnin's fate."

"Good point. And those archives you mentioned, how much of your research did you say was preserved there?"

"They are quite comprehensive. You will find records there for all of my projects."

"Perfect. That will do, then, Mister Arkoff."

"Hmm? What do you-?"

Arkoff had failed to notice Numo-ra's grip tighten on his sidearm. Another shot rang out, and the inventor doubled up in pain, wheezing and spitting blood while his clothes began to burn.

"Now that I've gotten what I need from you, I see no reason to keep a pathetic earthling in my company, especially one with such a long history of being a turncoat," Numo-ra explained. He watched Arkoff writhing on the ground and smirked. "It's an interesting effect, isn't it? The superheated energy bolts cause instant death if they strike the brain or heart, but if they enter the body anywhere else, they sort of cook you gradually from the inside out. Your lungs, of course, burst almost immediately, hence why you can't even scream."

Numo-ra continued to watch until Arkoff's movements had ceased before finally holstering his sidearm and calling on his troops to pull out, taking no prisoners and leaving no survivors.

After receiving the update from Numo-ra, the Controller called a meeting of his subordinates.

* * *

The Xiliens were transitioning from their living quarters aboard the starship _XJ65 _to permanent dwellings on the ground. The Controller's eight top officers met in the control room, situated around a circular table. At its center sat one of the computers which telepathically controlled the minds of the Xiliens; however, this computer had malfunctioned shortly after takeoff, leaving it barely functional and unable to lead the refugees. Across the hundreds of generations that had lived on the _XJ65_ since, dwindling in number from over 50,000 to just under 5,000, the Xilien chain of command had been determined via an algorithm generated by the computer, the only significant function it could still perform.

The Controller, serial number T-2791, addressed his eight immediate subordinates in a gravelly but monotone voice. "My fellow refugees of Planet X, I regret to inform you that the Earth scientist Fang, whose innovative and experimental techniques we had hoped could be used to restore our minds to their former strength, has ceased to exist."

The eight subordinates nodded silently and expressionlessly. The suppression of the Xiliens' personality by the computers had remained with them over the generations in space, and manifested most overtly in a flat affect and apparent lack of emotional intelligence. They recognized the loss of an opportunity for healing and understood what that loss meant, but they did not _feel _the loss.

Controller T-2791 continued, "Due to the loss of this most important asset, we once again find ourselves without a means of restoring our full psychological functioning. It seems increasingly unlikely that we will achieve this goal within any of our lifetimes."

Again they all nodded in a way that an outsider might perceive as nonchalant, as though their grim fate was a minor inconvenience. The meeting continued in this way for only a few minutes before the Controller dispatched his subordinates to inform their respective divisions of the news.

The Xiliens were divided into eight labor classes: engineering, medical, sanitation, military, navigation, research, gathering and cultivation. The former of these last two specialized in obtaining matter from nebulae or space rocks which the latter would then convert into edible matter; after arriving on Earth, gatherers became overseers of the farms they had appropriated, while cultivators studied the produces with the goal of making it more fitting to their own nutritional requirements.

Research, meanwhile, collaborated with medical on repairing the Xiliens' psychology. Countless interventions and medicinal approaches had been considered, but after thousands of years, negligible progress has been made. Under the leadership of current head researcher Z-3865, they had come close to a breakthrough several times, but never close enough. However, unbeknownst to Z-3865, the experience of these near successes had begun to reawaken something in her which the Xiliens long thought they had lost altogether: empathy.

* * *

The Mysterians were in an even worse state. As their leader had said to Belvera, they barely remembered their own history; part of this was because they had been drifting through space for so long, but their minds had also significantly deteriorated. They had, in fact, lost their homeworld after decades of chemical warfare; the resulting pollution was so severe that the environment itself rebelled against them, turning the air into unbreathable smog and the water into undrinkable sludge. By the time a few thousand survivors evacuated, it was too late for them; the poisons were in their blood and would be passed down to each successive generation, causing deformity and sickness throughout the entire population.

This was why the Mysterians erected a dome rather than attempting to live in Earth's atmosphere. Continuing genetic deterioration had left most of them unable to thermoregulate, barely able to breathe, and immunocompromised to the point that any pathogen could be fatal. They could therefore survive only within an extremely narrow range of conditions, necessitating that they maintain rigid control of their environment via the done. Inside, they could exist without their life support suits, but their breathing was so labored that they could do little more than sit and languish in silence; guards on duty who needed to be able to speak had to keep their suits on.

The Mysterians were humanoid and seemingly mammalian, but it was hard to be sure from looking at them; their pallid skin was twisted by deformity and scarred from chronic ulceration. Their minds were similarly ill: poor memory, stifled emotions, no creativity. They had exactly enough awareness to take action to preserve themselves but also to know that they were dying - not just individually, but as a race. Each generation was more sickly than the last, more likely to be stillborn, to die before reaching sexual maturity, or to even then be found sterile. In short, they were hurtling inexorably toward extinction, and even with the discovery of this new world, it may well have already been too late for them.

The Commandant had his own private chamber in which to rest, and he refused to remove his suit outside of it for fear of letting others see what had become of him. The strain of leading his people had taken a dire toll on his already sickly body; he was old before his time and getting worse every day. He knew without needing to be tested that he was among the majority of males born sterile, a fact which he guarded out of shame. There was a difference between living and surviving, a difference which the Commandant was constantly aware of. He could survive on this new planet, perhaps, but it was no way to live.

* * *

In Seatopia, Queen Salno had just summoned her advisers for a meeting when Honda, Nelliyattu, Coogler and Keiko stormed into the council chamber. Keiko appeared anxious, but the rest wore looks of stone-faced resolve. "Your majesty," Honda said curtly, "you must listen and assist us in repelling the invaders!"

The queen's usually benevolent expression was replaced with one of quiet anger, and her words, although spoken with a calm tone, were almost startling in their bluntness. "This is my kingdom and I am your host. Make no mistake, outsiders: my graciousness toward you up to now notwithstanding, I would cast you out in an instant if I thought you were issuing orders to me. As I _surely _must have misheard you just now," she continued with a note of mirthless sarcasm, "I will permit you to make your case again."

To Honda's surprise, it was Coogler who spoke up in a calm and reasonable voice after taking a deep, relaxing breath. "Your highness, we can't…I mean, my friends and I can't continue to stand by while our world above is destroyed. We're going up there to put an end to this. Will you help us? Please!"

Salno sighed, seeming equal parts resigned and irritated. "I'm afraid there is nothing I nor any of you can do now. The war is over. The best we can do is to remain on guard lest the invaders attempt to find their way down here."

Nelliyattu joined in. "But surely it's only a matter of time until they do." She took a step closer to the queen's chair, arms outstretched plaintively. "Queen Salno, we beg of you! If you will not act on our behalf, then please think of what is best for your own people and your kingdom."

Salno bristled. "Again," she said, her voice low and stern, "I must ask that you not pretend to speak for Seatopia."

"Then may I?"

All heads turned to the far entrance to the council chamber. Suton had arrived, looking unusually informal in a plain blue-grey robe with her curly hair unstyled. Salno surveyed her in surprise. "Suton! You look…well... "

"Tired, my queen. Tired of all the fear and anguish. I have felt every moment of it." Honda noticed that Suton's eyes were bloodshot and crusty. "This can't go on. We cannot stand by in silence this time." Suton took a breath so deep that her entire body moved with the rise and fall of her chest. "Queen Salno, I present a motion that we should take immediate action to help the surface dwellers."

After she spoke, an apprehensive silence hung over the room for a few moments. Honda and her fellow surface dwellers were surprised and grateful to Suton, but Salno's visage displayed shock and uncertainty.

Then there came a noise - a rhythmic noise which Honda suddenly realized was the slow, sarcastic clapping of Malmez, who had entered from behind them. "A bold gesture, Suton!" he said snidely, making his way to the table and standing by the queen's side. "But, I do fear, a fruitless one. As the queen said, the war for the surface world has already ended."

As he spoke, Malmez waved a finger toward the crystal stalactite above, conjuring up images of demolished monuments. The Taj Mahal had been obliterated and its remains scattered down the entire length of the reflective pool. Osaka Castle had been set afire and was crumbling away one tier at a time. The Statue of Liberty had been melted by laserfire into a misshapen mass, solidifying again in a heap that was unrecognizable save for the hand holding the torch, just barely sticking out from the rest.

"See the remains of your precious civilization. Your symbols of government and culture, with which you endeavored to immortalize the false ideals of your hubristic and unjust world, have been laid low." He turned to Nelliyattu, who was standing nearest, and remarked with an exaggerated (and disingenuous) look of sympathy. "I am sorry. Truly I am." The hint of a smile played at the corner of his mouth. "Your civilization is no more."

Coogler took a step closer, fists held tightly at his sides; though his voice remained calm, it was clear that he was just barely holding back righteous indignation at Malmez's derisive tone. "We don't care. This isn't about national pride or monuments or government. None of that matters now. What matters is the people who are dying. It's not too late to save them!"

Malmez let a sneer flicker briefly across his face before returning to a look of stoic indifference. "In that case, recall that it was people who blackened the skies, the forests, and the oceans. Such a people do not deserve our help."

Keiko had remained silent up until then, holding back tears of rage, but now she let all the anger come pouring out. "And what about your blackened hearts? You think you're so high and mighty, but it's an act! You're just trying to excuse yourself from helping others!"

Malmez glared at her. "Mind your tongue, little girl! You're lucky to have been granted shelter here. I personally was against it; I can't abide having your kind corrupt this sacred place."

Keiko stretched out an accusing finger, hissing through her teeth, "_You_ are the one who's corrupt, refusing to help those in need and mocking their pain! You're an evil bastard, Malmez! Worse than any of the people you look down on!"

Now it was Malmez who let his anger show. He stomped across the room toward Keiko, glowing red and roaring, "Insolent child! How dare you!"

He raised a hand up as if to strike her across the face, but he was abruptly thrown backwards onto his rear. Keiko and Honda had used telekinesis together to push Malmez away. All eyes in the room trained apprehensively on Keiko. Then Queen Salno stood up slowly and stepped forward, looking profoundly displeased. Honda's throat went dry as she suspected that she and Keiko had played directly into Malmez's hands.

Her fears seemed confirmed when Malmez rose to his feet again with a defiant chuckle. "You see?" he said, regaining his composure and nonchalantly brushing himself off. "Such a penchant for violence and rebellion, just as I have been saying. My queen, I suggest we banish these troublemakers from our midst immediately!"

A delicate hand was placed on Malmez's shoulder. He turned his head to see Salno looking at him in disgust. With the same soft yet scornful voice she had use with Honda, she said now to Malmez, "I think it is time for you to leave."

The queen's words took a moment to sink in. Malmez stared back at her for a moment. Then, with a contemptuous grunt, he pushed her hand aside and stomped out of the council chamber without another glance at anyone else.

Salno looked around at Suton and their guests before focusing her attention on Keiko. "I am sorry," she said sincerely. "You are my guest, and for one of my advisers to behave in such a barbaric way toward you reflects poorly on my own decorum as sovereign. Please forgive me."

Honda was taken aback by this apology. She had expected for a moment that the queen would either grant Malmez's request or have them all imprisoned. Instead, witnessing Malmez's cowardice and cruelty - antagonizing the royal guests, making a physical threat against them, and then trying to get them punished for defending themselves - had brought about a noticeable change in her demeanor. Even more surprising to Honda was the grace with which Keiko responded to the apology. The young psychic bowed her head slowly and said, her voice no longer quavering, "Thank you, your majesty."

Salno, equally impressed, continued. "I am still unsure of what I or my kingdom should do. However, the fire I see in you tells me that, regardless of what we do, the four of you are determined to return and fight the good fight."

Fight the good fight. Those words rang loud and true in Honda's ears. The queen was really listening now, acknowledging the validity of their views and goals. It marked a turning point in the discussion. It was entirely possible that they could win Salno over to their side and secure the means to victory. Someone just needed to plead their case and plead it well.

Someone.

Honda realized that all eyes were on her now. She had been taken as the de facto leader of the surface dwellers, so it was her they all looked to for an answer. "Yes," she said timidly. Knowing that was not convincing enough, she cleared her throat and said more authoritatively, "Yes. We belong to the surface world. The people suffering include our loved ones and compatriots. There is no choice for us. We will go and fight. Yes, alone…if we must."

Salno's face softened. She shook her head slowly. "I should have seen it before. It is no foolhardy courage that drives you, but love. That, I cannot impede. I dare not."

Honda said nothing but awaited the queen's next words with bated breath.

Salno closed her eyes, clearly debating the question with herself intently. Nearly a minute had passed before she opened them again. "Very well," she said calmly. "The time has come. After a thousand generations of peace, Seatopia will hold its first war council."

Coogler could restrain himself no longer and whooped with excitement. Nelliyattu reverently bowed on both knees. Keiko suddenly threw her arms around Honda with a cry of joy. Honda was not sure how to feel. The mere act of holding a war council did not guarantee anything; the other leaders might be just as stubborn and petty as Malmez. Even if they could convince Seatopia to join the fight…what if it really was too late, after all?

* * *

Malmez's private quarters were not far from the council chamber. Upon returning there, he observed the rest of the exchange through a Gem of Sight. He yelled and swore when he heard the outcome but quickly calmed himself again and sat down before the Gem of Sight, peering deeper into it. His clairvoyant powers showed him that if Salno, Suton, and Honda continued on their present course, Seatopia would go to war.

He would not let that happen. Rising from before the Gem of Sight, Malmez walked to a corner of his room that was hidden from the doorway and reached into a concealed crevice. He pulled forth a small, jagged chunk of glowing gemstone he had stashed there. It was not tangerine in color like Muite, but instead the deep, vivid purple of Batorite.


	4. A Declaration of War?

While she waited for the assembly of the war council, Honda retreated to the privacy of her quarters and knelt in silence. She took the Muite pendant from around her neck and began tracing it gingerly on the floor. Neither was scraped or cracked by this process; instead, the Muite left a residue of soft amber light, which Honda used to draw a complex symbol. She had never needed to sketch it out before, and she had not seen it in ages, but she remembered it quite vividly.

The core of the symbol was a square cross, which Honda drew to about the size of a dinner plate. She added two lines between each arm of the cross, curving outward from its center. Finally, she surrounded the whole thing with a circle. The result, though not perfect, was a close approximation of the radiant cross of Mothra.

As soon as she finished, the soft amber light gave way to a brilliant white. Honda sat before the symbol with her legs crossed and hands outstretched toward it. "Mona…Lora…" She whispered softly. "Commune with me."

The Wise Ones of Infant Island appeared in the midst of the symbol, their projected forms ethereal and colorless. Even without the benefit of their respective blue and pink robes, Honda could tell them apart by the ease in Lora's pose which contrasted sharply with Mona's eternal stiffness. Indeed, Mona did not seem to look Honda in the eye, nor her sister; her expression was one of doubt and shame.

"Hello," said Lora, halfway successful at forcing a smile. "It has been so long since last we spoke. Are you aware of…" She swallowed nervously.

Honda nodded. "The invasion. I assume Belvera is in on it?"

"Yes," answered Mona, still not looking up. "We saw her confront them when they first arrived, then they entered the atmosphere." She crossed her arms and began to rock gently back and forth, looking increasingly troubled. "Our connection to Belvera is not as strong as it used to be, but with some effort, I was able to read her thoughts briefly. She granted the aliens reign of Earth as long as they respect the planet itself."

Honda was repulsed, albeit not entirely surprised. "And do you think they'll actually honor their agreement?"

Mona blinked and continued to rock hazily. Lora shook her head slowly. "They have already begun to pillage and pollute the environment. Belvera would have to be blind to not see what they are doing."

Honda took a deep breath before voicing the question she had contacted them to ask. "What will you do?"

Lora looked at her sister. Mona turned her face still lower, staring at the ground.

"Well?" said Honda, emboldened at having finally broached the subject. "Aren't you going to fight back? We can't just sit back and watch this happen!"

Mona finally met Honda's gaze, tears starting to show in her eyes. "But what _can _we do?"

Lora shook her head despairingly. "Only Mothra Ame could possibly stand up to Battra, but she still needs time to grow."

"How long?" said Honda, desperate for an in.

"I don't know," replied Lora. "The Batorite accelerated Mothra Take's growth far ahead of hers. She might need days or weeks."

Mona grabbed her sister's hand, suddenly looking determined. "There's a way! If we can summon enough energy, we could bring Ame to full power overnight."

Honda was about to voice her enthusiastic approval for this option when Lora jerked her hand away with a gasp of shock. "But that would take _so much _energy! We would need to strip it from the Earth itself. What would that do the planet?"

Mona sighed with grief. "Nothing worse than what will happen otherwise, if we allow it."

Lora was still reluctant to agree, but she knew they were running out of time and options. "Alright. Alright, let's try it."

Honda nodded. "Thank you. Godzilla and I are prepared to fight by your side, and we aren't the only ones. Good luck."

Lora and Mona clasped hands, bowed their heads, and took leave of Honda's presence.

Moments later, both were standing atop the pyramid of Infant Island. Speaking in one voice that reverberated throughout the valley, they addressed the natives of the island. "Our people, listen to us now! Mothra needs us! Join us in prayer! Raise your voices to the heavens! It is time!"

* * *

Belvera had agreed to a telepathic conference with Lady Bosh'to of the Kilaak. The dark fairy was already less than thrilled with the alien matriarch's decision to stay out of the conflict before she made a strange request.

"You want me to do _what_?" asked Belvera in disbelief.

"_Please,"_ said Bosh'to, _"refrain from killing any more humans. We believe that there is much that we can learn from them - their culture, their science, their knowledge of this part of the universe…"_

Belvera scoffed. "If you cared so much about them, why didn't you speak up when the decision was made to conquer their world?"

Bosh'to hesitated to answer. The glowing eyes visible under her hood blinked. _"We wanted to make sure that Venus was habitable and that all of the others' needs were met before…"_

"Before asking this thing of me that you already believed was reasonable, right?"

"_We did not wish to be perceived as demanding or arrogant."_

"Of course not. Why would you stick your neck out for those you claim to have concern for when you could wait until you have your way first?"

Bosh'to again struggled to articulate her position. Belvera was about to dismiss her anyway when an unexpected presence made itself known, taking her attention away.

"Who are you?" Belvera demanded of the figure standing before her, a telepathic projection clearly made by the use of a Batorite crystal.

"_Greetings, Dark One,"_ said the figure, bowing exaggeratedly. "_I am Malmez, servant to Queen Salno of Seatopia, come to make you a proposition."_

Belvera looked Malmez up and down condescendingly before responding with a sneer, "I have no interest in anything your queen has to offer."

Malmez chuckled and shook his head. _"This offer comes not from my poor misguided lady, but from me. Belvera, my lady draws her plans against you, but I wish to avert a drawn out conflict. If you would do us the kindness of removing Salno from power, we shall be in your debt."_

Belvera considered the offer. She knew full well that Malmez had little to offer her and that Salno's forces posed little threat to her schemes. After a few moments, an idea came to her. "Malmez, I know someone who might be interested in helping you. Would you like to speak with him?"

Malmez was confused. He thought for sure that Belvera would accept his offer without delay, not hand it off to someone else. _"I…yes, I suppose so."_

A short time later, Malmez and Belvera were addressing Controller T-2791. Once Malmez had explained his proposition, the Controller nodded approvingly and spoke. _"I understand, ambassador, that your people have exceptional powers of healing. We Xiliens have long suffered from the psychological effects of __our technology__. If we assist you in taking back your city, will you help us in our goal of recovery?"_

Malmez smiled, knowing that even if he could not keep such a promise, the Xiliens might be desperate enough to accept his offer with minimal assurance. _"We will do our best, Controller."_

The Controller made an odd hand gesture and returned an equally disingenuous smile, believing that his forces could just as easily take over Seatopia for themselves. _"Then we gratefully accept your offer, Malmez. We will organize our attack and contact you again in a few hours."_

"_Excellent. Thank you, Controller. And thank you, too, Belvera."_

* * *

Belvera next contacted Yuma and Velázquez, who had been keeping an eye on the activity of the Dianii hunters to prevent them from venturing into the Adona Islands.

"My followers," she said, "I want you to accompany the Controller and Captain Stroid to Seatopia. The Xiliens will conquer the city and the Dianii will see to the destruction of the monster Godzilla."

"And us?" asked Yuma, fearing he knew the answer already.

"You will bring your friend Doctor Honda to me - alive, if possible. Remember that I know everything that goes on in your mind, and there are consequences for betrayal."

Belvera ended the conversation there, granting her followers no time to argue with her. Velázquez had come to love the supreme sense of power she had attained by serving Belvera, so she was more than willing to obey. Yuma, on the other hand, had grown more disconcerted by the hour since the arrival of the aliens. He knew too well that Belvera's threat was intended specifically for him. He was not sure what he would actually do when the moment came to confront Honda, but for now, he had no choice but to go along with the plan. He did not want to end up like Cramer, at least not before he had seen his old friend at least one more time.

* * *

The Seatopia war council was held atop a circular platform carved into a huge outcrop of Muite, and comprised nearly one hundred representatives from the kingdom's various organizations (military, scholastic, medical, and so on). Honda, Coogler, Nelliyattu, and Keiko sat across from Salno and Suton. The assembly seemed particularly taken with the individual seated to Salno's right, a tall woman of mixed Desi and African descent.

Once all had gathered together, Salno addressed the assembly. "My fellow Seatopians, we find ourselves today in an unenviable situation, one which we have hoped from the outset of our kingdom to never find ourselves in. The surface world-"

The queen was suddenly interrupted by a cough and a condescending male voice. "Excuse me, your highness, but who is that sitting in Malmez's place?"

The woman in question bowed her head. "I am Minaton, chief scholar. I have been appointed to fill Malmez's role as advisor to the queen."

Salno opened her mouth to continue but was prevented by a cascade of dissenting voices.

"And why is he not here?"

"Is Malmez guilty of some crime or failure?"

"Perhaps the queen disliked his criticism!"

"Malmez is Salno's senior by many years. Does his experience count for nothing?"

Honda closed her eyes and grit her teeth, barely refraining from retorting sharply, which she knew would not help.

At length, Salno rose to her feet. The assembly fell silent instantly as she took the floor. "It is true that Malmez served Seatopia as a royal advisor with honor and wisdom. However, it was our determination that his prejudice against the surface people was antithetical to our desire for peace and harmony."

Another dissenting voice spoke up. "Let it then be noted that our desire for peace and harmony is antithetical to the arrogance and bloodlust of the surface people."

An old woman answered in a soft but clear voice, "Their violent ways have cost them dearly, but that does not make the violence being inflicted upon them now fair or just."

"I never said otherwise, but…"

The old woman continued. "And how do we justify calling them arrogant if we then watch silently as they suffer? We are in a position to help them, and if we fail to do so, we are no better."

There was a mix of satisfied mumbling and displeased grumbling. Honda started to feel cautiously optimistic, but it seemed that even if there was any chance of winning them over, it could take a long time.

Minaton raised her hand to show a cylinder of Muite. "This is the Decree of Unification, the agreement between the three cities that merged to form Seatopia." She flicked her wrist, and glowing Seatopian writing filled the air over their heads. "Hear this: 'If our civilization truly values peace, then we should not be satisfied to merely have peace within our homes. We must be proactive in bringing peace to the world. While violence must always be the last resort, should humanity above be threatened in its existence by war, we must be prepared to intervene, by force if necessary, to contain the conflict.' The Decree is clear. Humanity's existence is threatened and we are in a position to be its salvation."

There came more sounds of approval; some were clearly reluctant in their agreement with the Decree, but others were more enthusiastic.

Salno spoke again. "I believe it is my duty as queen to lead but not dictate. I would not lead even one of you into a fight you did not believe in. I fear that Earth is facing a great crisis and that, as citizens of Earth, we have a duty to defend it - not just for the sake of others, but for ourselves."

The first hints of applause were heard from the assembly. There was still clear opposition and ambivalence from many, but even more now seemed to be onboard. Honda was hesitant to hope, but she could see that the room was slowly yet surely turning to her side.

* * *

Meanwhile, Malmez was communing via Batorite telepathy with Velázquez, Yuma, Stroid, and T-2791.

"The council is underway," said Malmez. "When will you arrive?"

Stroid answered, _"We're about __5__ minutes out."_

T-2791 added flatly, _"If we had driven our own ship, we could have been there half an hour ago."_

Stroid snapped back, _"And you'd have been blown out of the sky by Godzilla without __our__ cloaking system!"_

Velázquez scolded them both. _"That's enough! Remember, Honda will know that we are here the moment Godzilla spots us, so we must get as close as possible without alerting them to our presence. Malmez, how will you get us in?"_

"There is a concealed tunnel beneath the red sand. I will incapacitate the guards and illuminate the entry point. You can then beam down through it and enter the city by the main gate. Once the raid begins, Captain Stroid and his hunters will take down Godzilla and the Royal Dragons."

Stroid cracked his knuckles in anticipation. _"Superb. We have a rookie onboard who has requested the first go at Godzilla. This will be a perfect opportunity to test his mettle in a real fight."_

Malmez cringed. "Perhaps you should let a more experienced-"

The rookie retorted with youthful defiance, _"I will slay the loathsome beasty, and if I fail, then I die bravely in one-on-one combat!"_

Stroid chuckled. _"That's the spirit, my lad! We will make a fine warrior of you yet!"_

Yuma rolled his eyes. He took no pleasure in his mission to apprehend an old friend, and he found the juvenile gloating of the Dianii tiresome on top of that.

* * *

Just as Honda was gaining confidence, there came a chorus of booing and hissing. Several men sitting in a group together had risen to their feet and were doing their best to drown out the applause. The rest of the council went quiet as the naysayers increased their volume. Finally they stopped and one of them stepped forward, bellowing out a declaration in a thunderous voice.

"We are descendants of Bhatlam, as is our revered Malmez. We side with him in condemning the queen's reckless call to break the peace that we have enjoyed for millennia for the benefit of those despicable surface dwellers."

The many voices murmuring to each other after the objection formed a low rumble which Honda feared could spell doom for her cause.

Minaton cleared her throat. "Let it be noted that the excerpt which we have just discussed was written by Bhatlam himself…"

The thunderous voice came again, and Honda saw its owner, a tall and broad-shouldered man similar in appearance to Malmez but far younger. "Let it also be known that Bhatlam was coerced into completing his portions of the Decree in order to appease the other members of the council, and we, his descendants, do not consider the Decree to be legitimate for this very reason."

Next came gasps from around the hall. A few of the loud young man's comrades lowered their gaze or shuffled slightly back, seemingly uncomfortable with the implications of what he had just said. Honda could tell from this reaction that this declaration of defiance had opened a particularly troublesome can of worms.

Salno looked aghast, turning to Suton with a desperate expression on her face; the young queen had clearly not anticipated such a fierce pushback. Suton matched the young man's tone, "Toruzon, to question the legitimacy of the Decree is to question the authority of the queen herself and the democratic purpose of this council!"

Toruzon's followers observed him with apprehension in their eyes. Honda knew what was coming next. The charismatic rebel stood as straight and tall as possible, chin held high and proud, as he proclaimed for all to hear, "So be it!"

Any hopes for an amicable resolution were dashed by those three words. Objectors, detractors, and those in between bellowed over each other. The queen and her advisers were powerless to restore calm. As more voices joined in and the tone grew evermore hostile, Honda feared that the council would descend into violence.

* * *

Far above, Godzilla was curled up with his grandchildren, all fast asleep save for Minilla who was feeling restless. After extricating himself from the cuddle pile, he began testing his energy breath by the light of the setting sun. He was once again able to produce a smoke ring, this time with ease, but try as he might, he could not created a more substantial burst, let alone a sustained beam.

Just as Minilla was considering going back to sleep, he noticed something purple shining in the sand about eighty meters away. He took a few steps closer but stopped as something else caught his attention: a barely audible hum coming from above. Minilla turned his gaze skyward but saw nothing. A suddenly flash of light caused him to recoil with a cry of surprise.

* * *

Honda did not know what to do. What she wanted was to throw herself into the midst of the arguing assembly and berate them into submission. However, she doubted any of them would take notice when they were busy arguing with each other, and if she attempted to use her psychic powers to arrest their attention, she would only be escalating the tension.

As Honda continued to ponder her options, Keiko sprang to her feet and called out desperately, "Stop! Listen to me! Ghidorah is coming! We have to do something!"

A few members of the assembly acknowledged her with confused glances before returning to the argument. Honda was caught completely off guard. "Ghidorah"? What was she talking about? Then she remembered Keiko's vision of a golden entity in the sky…

* * *

Godzilla heard Minilla's cry and opened his eyes just in time to see the Xilien strike force beam down from somewhere above and disappear into the red sand. He rose with a roar, at the same time speaking telepathically with Honda: "_They're coming!"_

* * *

Honda heard these words in her mind less than a second before the entire council heard a deafening boom in the distance. Malmez had failed to distract the guards in time, and the Xiliens, finding the main gate protected, had instead blasted their way through.

The halls of Seatopia were filled with an orange glow as every Muite crystal lit up at once, signifying an alarm. The argument ceased instantly and all eyes turned to the queen. Salno fearfully called out, "We are under attack! Soldiers, defend the city!"

The kingdom's soldiers, despite rigorous training and daily patrols, had never known a real battle. In unison, they held aloft their Muite-tipped spears and charged toward the gate, their shouts of determination mitigated by the obvious terror in their eyes.

Controller T-2791, feeling a slight sense of amusement at this half-hearted display of bravado, calmly issued orders to his own troops. "Their resistance poses only a minimal threat to our tactical and technological superiority, but they may yet make useful slaves. Stun them!"

The Xilien troops adjusted their guns and began their gradual descent of the high steps which led from the main gate into the heart of the city. Wave after wave of Seatopian soldiers were knocked to the ground by green bolts of paralyzing energy. The defenders fired beams from the ends of their spears, but these were useless. Yuma and Velázquez advanced side by side with the Controller, using their telekinesis to direct the Muite beams away from their targets.

Honda watched from afar as the defense floundered against the more experienced attackers. Summoning up her own power, she floated off the ground and took flight, rushing toward the center of the battle. Nelliyattu and Coogler followed suit, and soon all three were bearing down on the Xiliens from above.

T-2791 pointed to them and shouted, "Bring them down!"

Nelliyattu and Coogler were felled by stunning bolts and dropped unconscious to the floor, but Honda evaded fire and landed face to face with Yuma. Their eyes met, and each felt an overwhelming surge of longing and remorse. The feeling came and went in an instant.

Velázquez seized the momentary distraction and attacked Honda, who barely managed to counter in time. Though they stood several meters apart, they punched and kicked viciously in the air, every blow sending a telekinetic shockwave toward their respective opponent. However, while many of these attacks landed true, their recipients' telekinetic resistance consistently stopped them from becoming seriously injured. Instead, most of the force from each blow was deflected into the steps below them or the surrounding stone walls of the cave.

As all of Seatopia seemed to shake, both sides of the battle struggled to remain upright and continue firing upon each other. Yuma alone was now deflecting the return fire, and while there were fewer incoming attacks now, he was hard pressed to keep up. A few Muite beams managed to graze an Xilien arm or leg here or there, injuring but not killing.

T-2791 considered authorizing lethal force but hesitated at the risk of galvanizing the enemy. He did not admit it to himself, but for the first time, he felt distinctly and unmistakably afraid.

Yuma, too, was afraid both to attack his old friend and to let his new ally down. Which scared him more, he could not easily say.

_The Stranger_, Stroid's ship, became visible just as Godzilla roared his challenge to the intruders. A hatch along the side of the vessel wooshed open, and in the same instant, the young rookie lunged forth, brandishing a weapon that resembled a three-pronged dagger. He rolled across the sand and thrust the weapon into Godzilla's shin. The great monster began a movement to kick his attacker aside, but then a powerful electrical current flowed from the tri-blade prod into his body, causing him to seize up and cry out in pain.

Next, the hunter known as Trapmaster sprang from the ship, tossing a longsword to the rookie and casting a weighted net onto the frightened Godzooky and Gojirin in the same movement. He had whirled about to seize Minilla when the smaller monster chomped down on his hand with a wet crunch. Trapmaster yelped and attempted to wrench his hand away, but Minilla held on, continuing to crush every bone and burst every artery in his the offending appendage.

The rookie retracted his electrified weapon and swung the longsword in a strong but clumsy motion. Godzilla recoiled, his gut bleeding profusely, but the wound was not deep. He attempted to rush the rookie, who was only half his height and whom he assumed he could overpower with ease. However, the rookie feinted with his sword before striking with the tri-blade. This time, he only slashed at Godzilla instead of embedding the whole blade in him. The resulting short burst of electricity caused Godzilla's legs to knock together, dropping him to the ground.

The rookie raised his sword high, intent on decapitating his fallen quarry with a single blow. However, he was interrupted by the Royal Dragons. Baragon burst from beneath the sand and seized the rookie's legs, while Mogu dove from up high, firing his orange ray as he went. The rookie's face was horribly burnt, causing him to cover his eyes and lash out blindly with the sword. Mogu flew out of reach and Baragon dove back into the sand.

With an infuriated snarl, the rookie uncovered his eyes and saw Godzilla, back on two feet and looming over him. His dorsal plates emitted a blue glow that appeared all the more brilliant against the backdrop of a reddened sunset sky. The rookie looked frantically about for the tri-blade, but in his frenzy, he had dropped it into the sand, where it had now disappeared from view. As Godzilla reared back, he made one last leap toward his would-be quarry with the sword raised in a killing strike. However, it was not to be.

Godzilla had not used his atomic breath in months except to demonstrate it for his grandchildren. He unleashed it now with deadly force, propelling the rookie through the air onto the far side of the island, where he landed in a crumpled lifeless mess in the shallows, burned beyond recognition.

Watching from the bridge, Captain Stroid was shocked by the ferocity of this attack and its lethal results. He then saw Godzilla turn his wrathful gaze on _The Stranger_ and quickly called out to Trapmaster, "Abort! Abort! We must retreat!"

Trapmaster scurried aboard and closed the hatch. In another second, _The Stranger _had blasted off into the distance.

Godzilla reached down and lifted the net from Godzooky and Gojirin, who both stared back at him with disbelief in their eyes. Neither of them had ever seen him become genuinely violent before, and they were both frightened. Godzilla knew that their fear came not just from the violence they had seen but from seeing him, their grandfather, kill another being. He felt a deep swell of regret for ever having been that way, let alone allowing them to see it.

His moment of grief was interrupted by the onset of an unspeakable dread. Godzilla looked this way and that, heart beating so fast it could be heard over the crashing surf. His search proved fruitless, and the truth became horrifyingly clear.

Minilla was gone. Trapmaster had boarded _The Stranger _with the young monster still clinging to him. Godzilla threw back his head with a mournful howl. Then he turned his eyes to the north where the ship had disappeared in the encroaching darkness. Godzilla's lips peeled back in a sneer of rage. He could feel the old fury of battle surge inside him once again. The king of monsters was back on the warpath.

Yuma watched the other psychics continue to fight back and forth, uncertain of what to do and struggling to maintain his attention on the task of deflecting the Seatopians' beams. For a moment, he contemplated intervening on Honda's behalf, but then he heard the voice of Belvera in his head.

"_What are you doing? Have you forgotten that I can see you?"_

The pendant around his neck grew hot and began to vibrate malevolently.

Fearing for his life, Yuma acted almost instinctively. His arm swung out in a striking motion, creating a telekinetic force that Honda failed to anticipate and which sent her rolling down the stone steps.

The fiery beam from a Seatopian spear shot past Yuma's head. He resumed his work deflecting their attacks. However, one by one, the defenders ceased fire and lowered their spears, staring past Yuma in confusion.

Equally perplexed, Yuma followed their gaze. The Xiliens had all ceased fire, too, and were looking intently at something lying in a heap on the steps. Yuma's throat tightened when he realized that heap was the body of Controller T-2791, a hole between his eyes betraying where he had been struck by the beam which Yuma had allowed to pass by.

The Xiliens continued to gawk at their slain leader's corpse. They had no process to appoint a temporary battle commander, let alone a new Controller, in the absence of their computer. After about twenty seconds, they all looked down the stairs toward their opponents with blank expressions.

To Yuma's renewed surprise, they all holstered their guns without a word.

The Seatopians were hesitant to lower their own weapons, but they did not resume fire. Instead, all eyes fell now on the psychics. Honda had staggered to her feet, nursing a bloodied forehead. Velázquez made to strike at her again only to be floored by two telekinetic blasts from off to the side.

Nelliyattu and Coogler, fully recovered from the paralyzing shots, raced up the stairs and loomed over her. Velázquez looked pleadingly up at them, knowing she stood no chance against them together. She started to say something, but she had not finished the first word before a horrible scream burst from her lungs instead.

Honda could see from far below the intense light in Velázquez's pendant, shining so brightly that Nelliyattu and Coogler staggered back with their eyes shielded. Yuma, however, could not pull his gaze away, even as his eyes burned from the white hot glow. Within a few short seconds, Velázquez's body transformed into solid Batorite and shattered in a million granular pieces.

At once, Honda and Yuma both realized that Belvera had elected to terminate her remaining servants in lieu of allowing them to be apprehended. Yuma felt a burning in his chest as his pendant became hot again and emitted a blinding light. Unable to look down at it, he grasped for the pendant to pull it off and cast it aside, but he could not feel it. All he could feel was the burning sensation. He braced for the inevitable and felt a blast of heat. Then there was nothing. _That was it_, he thought to himself. _She's killed me._

But Yuma was not dead after all! Presently he came to understand this and opened his eyes. The remains of the Batorite amulet were strewn down the length of the staircase. Farther down the steps, Honda stood holding the remains of his pendant. She had used her telekinesis to pull it from Yuma's neck, and the amulet had exploded harmlessly in midair on its way toward her. Breathless, she held the now baren cord of the necklace aloft for Yuma to see.

It took another moment for Yuma to register that Honda's breathlessness was not just from exertion, but from relief after a moment of panic. Seeing him in danger, she had acted without hesitation to save his life. Even after all he had done, she still cared.

Yuma sunk to his knees and sobbed, great aching sobs of guilt.

There was a commotion amongst the Seatopians. The soldiers were now joined by many onlooking civilians, jostling against each other for a closer look at the Xiliens. Malmez shoved his way between them all and stood face to face with the foremost Xilien soldiers. "What are you doing?" he shouted angrily. "Surrendering? Why? Cowards! Fight! Fight, I say!"

The Xilien closest to him said flatly, "We are leaderless and cannot make our own decisions. The most logical course of action is therefore to surrender."

Malmez slapped him across the face hard, but the Xilien barely flinched. He was about to strike again when he heard a cry from below. "Uncle!"

A chill ran down his spine. Malmez turned to see Toruzon glaring at him with a mix of shock and contempt. "N-n-nephew!" Malmez sputtered. "Let me explain!"

Toruzon charged his uncle, hollering with rage. Malmez stepped back and tripped over his robe. His nephew was on top of him in an instant, pounding away with both fists. Nelliyattu quickly pulled Toruzon back, although Coogler rolled his eyes, having enjoyed the beatdown while it was happening.

Honda approached Yuma. He could barely bring himself to look at her as he continued to weep. "I'm so sorry! It's gone, all gone!"

She bent down next to him. "Is Belvera still in your head?" she asked softly.

"I don't know! I really don't!" He leaned his head against her shoulder. "Oh, god! It doesn't matter! It's all gone!"

Honda looked around. She saw Salno and her advisers approaching the scene., while the Xiliens folded their hands behind their backs in seeming preparation to discuss a formal surrender. Honda could not gauge where it all might lead. Maybe this invasion would compel the Seatopians to fight back, or maybe it would scare them back into hiding, or maybe the war council would drag on for days while the world continued to crumble above them.

She knew when she heard Godzilla's voice in her head that she would not be sticking around to find out.

"_I have to go now, my friend."_

"Why?" she replied uner her breath. "What happened?"

"_Giant warriors came and took Minilla away."_

"Oh, no! What are you going to do?"

"_He is my flesh and blood. I must bring him back. I am going after them. Please don't try to stop me."_

Honda took another look around. Salno and her advisers had not even begun to address the Xiliens; the half-conscious Malmez had been dragged before them and they were just now beginning to question him. Whatever would come next could not come fast enough.

"Don't worry," she said to Godzilla. "I won't. In fact, I'm coming with you. We'll show them a real fight!"

Yuma had been listening and pieced together what was going on. As Honda stood to leave, he stood as well. "I'm coming, too. You'll need-OOF!"

Honda had kneed him hard in the crotch, causing him to double over. "That's for ganging up on me! Sorry, old friend, but right now you're a liability. You can work on earning my trust back another day, preferably when the fate of the world isn't at stake."

Now everyone was looking at her in surprise, including Salno, her advisers, the Xiliens, Nelliyattu, and Coogler; it seemed that the attack had left the last two stunned and unsure of themselves. If Honda was to leave right away, she would be doing so alone.

She scoffed for them all to hear. "You all take however long you need to figure your shit out! As for me, I know where I need to be and what I need to do. Feel free to join me, but until then, goodbye!"

Without another word, Honda dashed up the top of the stairs toward the tunnel leading to the surface. She had dreaded the day when she would need to fight again, but now that it had come, she was eager to head out and save the world one last time.

* * *

On Venus, Lady Bosh'to was assisting her people in harvesting the planet's volatile soil for minerals on which they fed. She considered it a great honor to be involved at all levels of her people's civic life, from agriculture to artisanry. However, her idyllic day of mineral farming was interrupted by tragedy.

A metallic disk on the back of Bosh'to's left glove began to twirl and buzz. Recognizing this as an incoming communication, she held her left hand palm up while sliding her right forefinger across the disk, causing it to stop spinning. A projection appeared in her palm of the Natarl Chairman, evidently struggling to stay upright.

"_Lady Bosh'to!" _he called out urgently. _"I am contacting you from Mars. We need your help urgently!"_

Bosh'to did not respond; she knew the current distance between the two planets meant the message was on a twenty minute delay. Instead, she merely listened intently.

"_We were testing the Dimension Tide to see what other portals in the network are still functioning, and-HURRRRGH!" _The Chairman staggered and nearly collapsed as the ground below him was shaken by some unseen force. _"Something else came through! We've been followed by a Planet Eater!"_

Those within earshot looked up in horror. The Chairman shook more fiercely, this time from the frightened shivering of Bosh'to.

"_When you receive this message, it may already be too-UNFF!-too late for us. If it is, you must tell Belvera and the others to escape into the Dimension Tide! Scatter yourselves across the universe so the Planet Eater does not follow you! If we do not survi-"_

The transmission went dead quite abruptly.

As her people stared frightfully at her, Bosh'to rotated the disk on her glove several times to pull up the feed from the newly-established orbital security network. The camera facing Mars showed the ruddy planet to be scarred with huge black blotches where the surface had been blasted by some tremendous energy. Bosh'to increased the magnification and could just barely make out something golden flying away from the planet, now heading toward Venus…


	5. Godzilla Raids Again

Night had fallen over the Indian Ocean by the time Honda reached the surface of the red sand island. Immediately she felt overwhelmed with nostalgia, although not for the place itself; it did not look anything like her idea of home and the night sky was not as it appeared from her Tokyo residence. It was, of all things, the air which stirred that feeling inside her. The air underground was not unpleasant, but the air above had an entirely different sensation to it, enhanced by the saline scent of the cool, gentle sea breeze. It was a smell Honda associated with moonlight walks at Onjuku Beach, an escape she made often during her university days when studying became overwhelming.

She thought back to those days and chuckled. Although Kumi Honda, PhD, had become a world renowned paleontologist only a few years later, she was never exactly a model student. She was perfectly capable of learning anything placed before her thoroughly - not just memorizing and regurgitating, but making deeper intuitive sense of it and making complex connections. However, she put little thought into what she would actually do with that information in the long run. "Studying dinosaurs, maybe," she had said nonchalantly to the "Where do you see yourself in five years?" question on many occasions.

It can be strange how life works. If Honda had stayed on that path, if there had been no trip to Odo Island, she may well have continued to be a competent if unadventurous researcher and professor. She might have appeared as second or third author to a noteworthy study on the theorized predation habits of a theropod, and maybe she would get to name an obscure species of tyrannosaurid something cheeky like _T. kusojijii_, but that would likely have been it for her. Even in the years between her chance encounter with Godzilla and the birth of Project G, she had been in the precarious situation of being so famous for something other than her daily work at the university that it became a distraction for her colleagues and students alike, and yet too much of an asset for that same reason for the university to let her go. Now, after years working for the United Nations as a monster wrangler and another year spent below ground, her time at the university felt like a previous life altogether.

Once again, she found herself at a crossroads. The world had been so drastically changed within such a microscopic period of time that the future was impossible to guess. Honda took another glance at the stars above, recognizing a constellation here or there but finding them strange to behold from such a different angle than usual; it was like seeing them from another world entirely. Her mind turned once again to the coming battle. She truly and desperately yearned to win, but after so much had changed, what would a victory even look like?

Honda's bitter contemplation was interrupted by an argument between Godzilla and his remaining grandchildren. They had forgotten their fear of his power in light of fear for their missing brother's life.

"_No!" _Godzilla said in a growl. "_You cannot come with me! It will be too dangerous!"_

Godzooky whined and answered, in a telepathic voice which to Honda seemed like that of a demanding child. "_We want to fight! We want to __help!__"_

Gojirin was more composed and considered. "_Minya is already in danger. He needs all the help we can offer."_

Godzilla remained adamant. "_What help can you offer? You are young and inexperienced."_

"_So is Minya_," Gojirin reiterated. "_We can't sit here doing nothing when our brother could be dying at this moment."_

Godzooky let out a howl of despair. "_Please, grandfather! Let us help!"_

Godzilla breathed a deep sigh, the noise of which was like the rumbling of a great engine but still carried an unmistakable note of sadness. "_You are not fighters, nor could I focus on the fight knowing I have all of you to watch out for."_

An idea occurred to Honda. "Hey, big guy!" she shouted.

Godzilla looked down at her. He could not see her, for she was so small to him and the stars offered only so much light, but he felt her and knew right where she was. "_Old friend! You and I must head out at once."_

"And your children?"

"_Staying right here!"_

"I think Godzooky should come with us."

Godzooky yipped excitedly. Gojirin sneered. Godzilla cocked his head, perplexed.

Honda explained. "Belvera's forces want to capture me, but that'll be hard to do if I'm with him; then you can focus on the fight instead of worrying about me."

Godzilla sighed again. Honda could sense that he agreed on this necessity and had no counterargument, but the decision was still a difficult one. "_I may have lost one grandchild today already. I cannot bear to lose another."_

"I know, big guy. You love them so much! But you cannot protect them from danger forever. If they come with us, they may be harmed in battle. If they stay here, they may fall victim to treachery. I can't make that call, but Minya cannot wait long."

At last, Godzilla relented. "_We will do it your way, then. Godzooky comes with us and Gojirin stays here."_

The scene was suddenly lit with an orange light from the horns of Mogu and Baragon. They had been listening nearby, seemingly asleep, but now approached to address the other monsters. Godzilla watched with apprehension and then surprise as they knelt before him, pawing gently at the sandy ground. It was a sign of blessing. Godzilla returned the gesture with a bow of his head and a low roar of gratitude.

Gojirin said something privately to Honda. _"Why him and not me?"_

Honda answered silently, _"Someone needs to keep an eye on the Seatopians, and to be quite honest, I don't trust your brother not to wander off. Besides, if the Seatopians do go to war, they'll need all the help they can get."_

Gojirin felt a little better knowing that she was being entrusted with a responsibility on account of her maturity, not just left behind.

"That settles it, then," said Honda. "Let's go save the world, boys! Godzooky, can I get a lift?"

* * *

Belvera was beyond livid. In one fell swoop, she had been deprived of her remaining minions and suffered the loss of a valuable ally with the death of T-2791. Now, for all she knew, Seatopia could be mobilizing against her, bringing with them the return of Godzilla. She cursed herself for having ever listened to that fool Malmez.

A Batorite projection appeared before Belvera as Stroid used his shard to hail her. She was hardly pleased to see him. "Well, Captain? Have you collected your prize?"

"_Not yet, Dark One. We have, however, acquired one of his offspring!"_

"Interesting. What do you mean to do with it?"

"_We understand that Godzilla has a psychic link with his kin. We therefore intend to use the little one to draw him out, leading him to a hunting ground that we find more…sporting!" _he said with a mischievous smirk.

"And where would that be?"

"_The city of Tokyo!"_

Belvera was surprised. "In Japan? That's two oceans away!"

"_Yes, but we believe the hunt will be worth the journey! By the way, could you do us a favor and keep the others off our backs? I know those Garoga want a crack at Godzilla, and they might not be the only ones. Just make sure they don't try to steal our kill from us, ya hear?"_

Belvera laughed scornfully. "No, Captain! You're taking a stupid, pointless risk, and you get to do it alone. You had your chance with Godzilla, and now he's everyone's problem. You've shown your ass and I don't plan to cover it for you. Goodbye."

No sooner had she dismissed the image of Stroid than she was hailed by Lady Bosh'to.

"You again!" Belvera seethed, still indignant from the Kilaak's previous message. "Have you come before me again to whine about the poor Earthlings from a safe distance?"

"_No, Belvera. I am reaching now out to warn you that a…"_

Belvera did not wait for her to finish. "Warn me?! So now you're making threats, are you?"

Bosh'to was shocked. _"No, no! I meant-"_

"Listen, Kilaak! I've had a particularly troublesome day and still have plenty to deal with, without putting up with your nonsense! If I have further need of you or your people, I will be the one to reach out. Until then, make no attempt to contact me, and if I see any Kilaak ships approaching Earth, I will send Battra to wipe them out! Now be gone!"

Without another word, Belvera turned her back on Bosh'to, turning her attention to the leaders of her remaining allies.

* * *

Back on Venus, Bosh'to looked imploringly around at her people. All of the Kilaak had assembled on and around the mineral field, and the advisers of Bosh'to stood closest by, staring in disbelief after having heard the scolding words of Belvera. There were a few moments of silence before Bosh'to lowered her head and said mournfully, "I am so sorry for all of this. I have led you halfway across the galaxy, straight into the path of a Planet Eater. I have failed you!"

The adviser En'ru stepped forward, her arms outstretched in a gesture of empathy. "You are no fortune teller. You could not have predicted this. You did what you thought was best, and if only for a moment, we knew what it was like to have a home again. We are all grateful to you. As for myself, I would prefer to die with my feet on the ground than in the cold, dark, infinite void."

The other advisers repeated the gesture, and the rest of the Kilaak followed suit. Their species could not cry, but Bosh'to's voice was thick with emotion. "It has been a pleasure to lead such a people. I could not be prouder!"

The device on Bosh'to's glove whirred to life again. She flipped her hand and watched the orbital surveillance feed. The enormous being that had ravaged Mars was now clearly visible, having come close enough to trigger a proximity alert. Yet, curiously, it did not appear to be coming toward Venus. In fact, it seemed to be passing them by.

"Could it be?" asked the adviser Ban'hi. "Will the Planet Eater spare us?"

"It appears so," said Bosh'to, not ready to be optimistic. "Maybe it doesn't see us, or maybe…" Her voice trailed off. She spun the disk on her glove to rotate the view. From an alternate angle, it was clear where the monster was going. "The Planet Eater has set its eyes on Earth."

"Yes, of course!" said En'ru. "The war! It is going to punish the Earthlings and invaders alike for their violent ways!"

Such a horrible thought provided scant relief to Bosh'to. Again she rotated the view of the feed and saw Mars, sitting unoccupied in the distance. "The Martian portal to the Dimension Tide may still be working. If so, we have a narrow window in which to escape."

The usually calm and reserved Kilaak immediately descended into uncharacteristic bickering. Bosh'to did not attempt to silence them, but instead listened as best as she could.

"Return to the emptiness? How can we?"

"But now we have a chance to survive! There may be other planets out there!"

"We have looked for so long! Can we not remain here and let the Planet Eater pass us by?"

"What if it comes back around for us after is finishes Earth? We will have missed our chance!"

"We should be helping the people of Earth! Whatever Belvera says or does, we must try!"

"No world or race has fought a Planet Eater and lived. Earth is beyond our help now."

At last, Bosh'to raised a plaintive hand. The assembly gradually quieted down. "We cannot hope to defeat this threat, even with the help of others. I suggest that we leave this solar system at once and begin scouting for another world. If within 100 cycles we cannot find a suitable alternative to Venus, we will send a scouting party back here. The Planet Eater may have moved on in that time, in which case we can reclaim Venus. One way or another, I will not lead you to your deaths."

The Kilaak appeared satisfied with this plan of action. As they began preparing to depart, Bosh'to considered making one last attempt to contact Belvera, but by now she feared it was far too late for those on Earth to take meaningful action, if they ever had a chance at all.

* * *

Honda found the accommodations and comfort of the Godzooky Express somewhat lacking. The little flying monster had an unfortunate habit of suddenly changing altitude and direction as he swooped about in excitement. Granted, Honda's telekinesis allowed her to hold fast to him no matter what, but that made Godzooky's playful spirals and dives no less disorienting. Honda considered attempting to free-fly using telekinesis alone, but she was so tired from the day's events that she feared she did not have the energy left to do so. Instead, she clung to her flying friend, hoping he was sufficiently rested to get them wherever they were going.

"_Hey, Godzilla," _she said silently. _"Where are we headed?"_

Godzilla, barely visible while nearly submerged in the moonlit waters below, gave a matter of fact answer: _"To your home. Minya is there."_

"_Really? In Tokyo?"_

"_Yes. I don't know why, but they have taken him there."_

Honda began thinking about her magnificent home city. She considered all of the grand architecture and towering buildings. Would any of it be left when they arrived, or had it been razed in the war? It occurred to her that, should the city still stand, it would constitute a fantastic labyrinth of steel and concrete - perhaps just the type of environment in which these alien sportsmen would like to hunt.

"_This could be a trap."_

"_I agree," _replied Godzilla. _"But the bait is one of my little ones. We have to go."_

"_I had no intention of persuading you otherwise. We should just be careful. Whoa! Speaking of which, this one is getting a little too feisty!"_

Godzilla reared his head up as Godzooky did a corkscrew dive in excitement. _"Enough, child! Stay focused, save your energy, and please do not throw Miss Kumi to her death!"_

Godzooky straightened up his flight pattern with an en embarrassed gurgle. Honda ran a gentle hand down the back of his scaly neck. _"Don't get cocky, kid."_

* * *

Yuma sat on the stone steps to the gate, still weeping well after Honda's departure. He had lost the trust of his best friend and knew he had nobody to blame but himself.

He was surprised when Keiko sat down by his side and put a hand across his shoulders. Her face expressed frustration, but her eyes communicated sadness and empathy.

"Hello, Doc. I've missed you."

Yuma's tears stopped, but his voice became nearly too ragged to speak. "I...I missed…" He got no further. His throat felt like it was closing up entirely.

Keiko caressed his shoulder. "But you're here now. Can you help us?"

"Help? How?"

"What can you tell us about what's going on up there? Is there anyone left who can join the fight?"

Yuma shook his head mournfully. "Every government and military has either been toppled or forced to assimilate."

"But there must be others, some kind of resistance!"

"I...we killed everyone we thought would be a threat to us. Arkoff, Fang, Martin. They're gone. All gone!"

A booming female voice responded, "Then it's down to us."

Queen Salno stood before them, flanked by her advisers and by a female Xilien.

"Your highness," quivered Yuma, "I am so sorry…"

"No need, Doctor. The time has come for my people to act. We will not watch from the depths as your world is ravaged anymore. We do have one ally now…"

The Xilien woman stepped forward. "I am Z-3865, chief scientist. My people have chosen me to lead them. The Seatopians have agreed to forgive our invasion because we did not kill any of theirs. In exchange for our allyship in the coming conflict, they have agreed to help us heal our minds once the war is over. We have a chance for a more complete existence and happier lives now, as long as we willingly fight."

Yuma nodded understandingly. "Good. I'm sorry I can't rally more aid, but if there is anything I can do to help…"

Salno sighed. "I'm afraid not. We can only trust you so much. My people are leaving now to join Honda in the fight."

As the Queen turned to face the amassed Seatopian and Xilien force, Keiko spoke up suddenly. "What about my vision?"

"Yes," said Salno. "What about it?"

"There is another problem besides the invaders. Ghidorah is coming!"

"And what is this Ghidorah?"

"I…" Keiko hesitated. "I'm not sure. It's something big and terrible, coming towards Earth. I just know I saw it in my vision."

"It could be anything...or nothing. We know who the invaders are and what we can do about them. Now... Seatopians! Xiliens! To war!"

As the troops marched up the stone steps, Keiko and Yuma watched anxiously. The former feared the coming battle would be cut short by the arrival of a greater foe. The latter lamented that he would not be given the chance for the redemption he craved so deeply.

* * *

On Infant Island, Lora and Mona had been praying desperately for hours. The entire valley was aglow from the massive quantities of energy they were channeling from the Earth in order to give the cocooned pupa the strength she needed. The human residents of Infant Island joined in the prayer, many of them performing an elaborate dance at the same time. Although these people had long since renounced the use of magic, that power still coursed through their veins, and they summoned as much as they could while the Wise Ones sang out in the ancient tongue:

"_Mothra, oh Mothra!_

_If we were to call for help_

_Over time, over sea, like a wave_

_You would come_

_Our guardian angel!"_

At long last, just when the dancers felt they would collapse in exhaustion and the singers felt their throats going dry, the cocoon rustled to life. The silky fibers began to separate gently. A pair of massive wings slowly emerged. Before the rest of Mothra Ame had been seen, the onlookers were already taken aback.

Most generations of Mothra had simple colorations: usually red, yellow, and black, but occasionally consisting of cool hues or earth tones. However, Ame's wings displayed the entire spectrum in complex patterns including eyes, spirals, and stripes. Her face came into view next, with eyes that seemed to change color as she moved from blue to green to purple.

"Are you seeing this?" said Lora. "She is a Rainbow Moth!"

Mona breathed a nervous sigh. "Our prayers have given Mothra Ame great power. She may just have the strength she needs to defeat Battra."

Ame spread her magnificent wings and took to the air with a gentle chirp. Despite her massive size, she barely disturbed the air around her, creating only a mild breeze. She seemed to exist at the boundary of the corporeal, a being comprised entirely of life energy.

Mona and Lora clasped hands and watched as Ame flew into the distance. The people of Infant Island bowed together, rejoicing in the rebirth of their deity.

* * *

Belvera sensed the change in the Earth's life energy from afar. As soon as she realized the reason was that Ame had matured, she felt a heavy lump in her throat. Battra, resting nearby, seemed to have sensed it, too, and emitted a surprisingly somber coo. Belvera addressed him remorsefully, "I know Ame is your sister and you don't want to fight her, but this may be the only way!"

* * *

Honda had just seen the sun begin to rise over the sea when she felt a telepathic signal from her friends on Infant Island. "Wise Ones! What news?"

Lora responded enthusiastically, _"Mothra Ame has matured into her imago form, and she has emerged as a Rainbow Moth! Only one in a hundred generations of Great Moths bears the rainbow marks, and they are stronger, faster, and wiser. Ame might be able to defeat Battra after all!"_

Honda was momentarily pleased by this news, but then a thought occurred to her. "But will she fight him? Battra must have some of Take left in him."

Mona's reply carried a hint of anger. _"I hope so, but I doubt it. I'm afraid we may have no choice but to destroy him."_

"I'm so sorry," said Honda. "Take and Ame both helped save us from Dagara. I would never have imagined something like this might happen to him."

_"We appreciate your sympathy," _said Mona,_ "and we wish you luck."_

"Thank you. We'll need it."

Honda snapped back to the present at the sound of a roar from Godzilla, who had sighted something on the horizon: dozens of Bilusaludo Vultures, flanked by the Terror Beast Garoborg. Godzooky's excitement for battle faded at the sight of approaching enemies, particularly the enormous cyborg.

As the Vultures drew nigh, an amplified voice called out from one of them, 'This is Commander Halu-el Dolu-do of the Bilusaludo, Vulture Force 9. We order you to stand down and come with us at once."

Honda sensed the pilots of the Vultures and said telepathically to them all at once, _"And why should I care what you 'order' me to do?"_

Dolu-do was astonished, along with the rest of his troops, but he tried not to let it show in his reply. "Because I...ahem! Stand down! You are to be taken as our prisoner! I repeat, stand down now, or we will open fire!"

Godzilla did not wait for the talks to continue. He discharged a blast of nuclear energy, blowing almost half of the Vultures out of the sky in a single blow. The remainder of the force scattered and moved to encircle Godzilla, but they were still too far away to close the circle quickly. Godzilla continued to attack, taking down another dozen Vultures. Godzooky tried to take a few down, but his green flame breath was still weak and did not extend far enough to reach them.

Garoborg charged, firing a deadly beam from the top of its head. Godzilla did not have time to dodge, but while the beam strafed him painfully, it did not inflict any grievous injuries. However, Godzooky's left wing was badly burned, and he plummeted toward the ocean below with a sharp cry. Honda quickly applied her full telekinetic power to the little monster and held him aloft above the water. He was in great pain, but his wing had already begun to heal rapidly.

Garoborg reached out an arm which ended in a massive grasping claw, latching it onto Godzilla as the two of them collided. The monsters rolled in the water, obscured by the massive waves they stirred up. Meanwhile, the Vultures closed in on Honda and Godzooky. The latter whimpered frightfully and took flight, going as fast as he could, but not quite fast enough to out-maneuver the machines. He kept trying to use his flame against them, but they dodged with ease and continued to follow closely.

"Wait!" said Honda "I want to try something. Use your fire again!"

Godzooky spat another green jet of fire, and Honda manipulated it with her telekinesis, forming a huge burning ball. She directed it toward the nearest Vulture and struck it, engulfing several at once in a blinding explosion. The other units pulled away again, and Dolu-do radioed to headquarters, "Vulture Force 9 to Numo-ra! Request permission to use lethal...urrrrrgh!"

Godzilla had reared his head up and let loose another blast, taking out all but a few of the remaining machines, including Dalu-do's. He maintained a grip over the struggling Garoborg, whose mechanically enhanced strength was still no match for that of his organic quarry. Godzilla squeezed tighter, and a metallic crunch deep within Garoborg's form signaled the collapse of his internal battery. His organic insides were not enough to sustain life function without that battery, so with a final muffled gurgle, Garoborg shut down and hung limp. Godzilla released his grip, and the alien cyborg sank out of sight.

The last handful of Vultures turned to retreat, but Godzilla did not let them get far. With a final beam attack, he depleted the surviving force before they escaped from his sight.

Honda chuckled nervously. "Well, if that's the best they have, this oughtn't be too difficult!"

Godzooky giggled, but then he gave a chirp of surprise. _"Hey! Sister is calling to us!"_

* * *

Numo-ra shouted furiously as the signal from the last Vulture went dead. _"Damn that Earthling and her mutant freak pets! Belvera, let us use our full might to destroy them all!"_

"No," replied Belvera, conferring at once with Numo-ra and the Garoga Emperor. "I want Honda taken alive." She sighed in frustration. "It may be best after all to wait for them to reach Tokyo and let Stroid have his way with them. Our forces can converge there, separate Godzilla and Honda, kill him and capture her."

Numo-ra gave an indignant grunt before falling silent, but the Emperor was not so easily dissuaded. _"The foul lizard cost me one of my strongest Terror Beasts! I want him dead, now!"_

Belvera remained steadfast. "You will not attack until I give the order. Otherwise, you will have Battra to deal with."

"_But…" _The Emperor gave a start and looked around nervously. Belvera, unable to see what he was reacting to, looked at him inquisitively.

Something had shaken violently in the depths of Castle Terror. A minion burst into the throne room, running and panting. "My Liege, our new Terror Beast is out of control! He has broken free and is ravaging the Beast Chamber!"

The Emperor trembled in fear. "This can't be! He has betrayed us!"

Again the castle shook, and this time began to crumble. The Emperor cried out, and then his image disappeared from Belvera's sight. She tried to reach him again, but to no avail.

* * *

During their travels through space, the Garoga had captured many organisms and salvaged much derelict technology, experimenting on and combining them to create their Terror Beasts. Even if the original being was sentient, its independent will generally did not survive the transformation. However, there was one exception, a former resident of Earth whom the Garoga had encountered deep in space and reconstructed to fit their own purposes. Ever since returning to his homeworld, he had hungered for combat and been denied it. At long last, he rebelled. He broke free from his restraints and smashed his way out of the Beast Chamber where he and the other Terror Beasts were kept. In the process, he brought down half of Castle Terror, killing many of its occupants; the Emperor survived a falling block to the head but was knocked unconscious.

The Garoga had also recently conscripted both Kong and Jet Jaguar to join their Terror Beasts, and it had been their turn to stand guard over Opono Island. When the Beast Chamber was demolished along with much of the machinery within, both of them were released from Garoga control. They initially collapsed to the ground without anything controlling them. However, when Kong regained his cognitive faculties and Jet Jaguar's original programming reasserted itself, they remembered their mission to protect the Earth and set forth in pursuit of the rogue Terror Beast.


	6. Giant Monsters All-Out Attack

Belvera and Krystalak flew to Tokyo along with Battra to witness the upcoming battle. The city had been relatively spared in the war, with most of its buildings and monuments still standing, yet it had the feeling of a barren ghost town. Most of the surviving humans on Earth had been permitted to remain in their homes, if they were still standing, under the watchful eye of whatever alien force had asserted itself over their particular region; relocating them all was impractical without the infrastructure necessary to house them. However, at Stroid's request and Belvera's assistance, the Mysterians had used their tractor beam-equipped flying saucers to lift millions of residents out of the city and deposit them wherever it was convenient to do so; the Mysterians had not need of slaves, so most of the humans were just set down outside the city.

Tokyo had been nearly emptied by the time Belvera arrived. While the last few thousand inhabitants were being lifted out by Mysterian saucers, the Dianii were making the final preparations for their Godzilla trap. Stroid, overseeing the process from aboard _The Stranger_, hailed Belvera upon arrival. "Good of you to join us! And thank you for keeping those other chumps off our back!"

Belvera replied indignantly, "I only did it out of necessity! Don't think I'm doing you a favor or that I won't stand my ground with you in future!"

Stroid chuckled. "Of course, of course! I wouldn't dream of defying you!"

"I'm sure you wouldn't. My dark, winged friend would see to that in short order!"

Stroid cleared his throat nervously before resuming his usual darkly jolly affect. "So, I understand you want us to leave Godzilla's human companion unspoiled. That may prove difficult…"

Battra gave a deep, rumbling growl.

"Difficult! Not impossible!" Stroid clarified. "I think we can manage that well enough. Just wondering, though, what is her value to you?"

"She would make a powerful ally. She cares deeply about her people, so I am sure she will turn to our side once she sees the futility of her little insurrection and realizes she can do more good for them by working with me to maintain the peace."

"I wouldn't be so sure! From what I hear, she's got a fighter's spirit. You might have to break her."

"I am prepared to do so, if it comes to that." She glared at him with narrowed eyes. "But I will accept no excuses from you."

Bowmaster's voice came over _The Stranger_'s radio. _"Captain, our quarry approaches!"_

"Perfect!" said Stroid, looking behind him at the cage in which Minilla sat cowering with fright. "Our bait has worked and the plan is coming together. Now is the time to conquer the ultimate challenge, and perhaps avenge our late Ensign!"

* * *

Numo-ra was in the process of skinning a freshly killed Servum in his personal game reserve in Krasnoyarsk when he received a transmission from headquarters.

"_Chief, we have detected seismic activity 1,000 kilometers to the south."_

"And?" he said nonchalantly. "This planet's crust is unstable, but it's far from the most dangerous thing on this planet."

"_But Chief, the epicenter is moving! One hour ago, it was in India!"_

Numo-ra was surprised and perplexed. He was not sure if moving epicenters were a common occurrence on this planet. "That's…interesting. Let me make a call."

He knew that the Xiliens had set up their own residence in India and wanted to check with them if they knew anything about what was going on. Belvera had not kept him in the loop regarding the Xilien attack on Seatopia, only telling him afterward that Godzilla was on the loose again. Numo-ra was therefore surprised when he attempted to contact the Xilien headquarters and was greeted by Z-3865 rather than T-2791.

"_We read you, Numo-ra. What is it?"_

"I've been informed of a seismic tremor moving north from your region. Do you know the cause behind it?"

"_We have observed the tremor but have yet to identify the origin. We have sent two ships to observe its progress."_

"Thank you. If it continues on its present course, it will enter our territory within the hour. We will track it from here and meet you at our border when it arrives."

"_Good. Farewell for now."_

Numo-ra climbed into his personal transport craft and sped off toward headquarters to better coordinate plans with his subordinates. Unbeknownst to him, it was all a ruse.

The traveling tremor was the work of Baragon, creating a tunnel from the Xilien base toward Bilusaludo territory. Traveling in his wake through the tunnel were Mogu, Gojirin, and a combined army of Xiliens, Seatopians, and Indian soldiers. When the Seatopians showed leniency to the surrendering Xiliens, they in turn had made the decision to relinquish control over India in favor of an alliance. The Indian soldiers were all volunteers and had been armed with Xilien ray guns.

The Xilien ships were following Baragon's progress closely, fully armed and carrying even more troops ready to be deployed. Z-3865 had realized that a force of sufficient size to do battle with the Bilusaludo would not be able to sneak up on them unnoticed, so she planned accordingly by splitting up the force between the ships and the tunnel. They had not lost the element of surprise entirely; the Bilusaludo knew they were coming but had no idea that it was to fight.

It was a risky strategy. Whether or not they suspected the Xiliens, the Bilusaludo might figure out that a monster was generating the seismic activity and mobilize in force to defend themselves. That would ensure that the combined army faced the full might of the Bilusaludo with only a few moments of surprise to exploit before the game was up and the fighting started for real.

* * *

Godzilla emerged from the waters of Tokyo Bay and began a cautious advance toward the heart of the city. There were no signs of the Dianii hunters anywhere, and while Godzilla could feel Minilla's presence, the telepathic signal was weak; Honda correctly intuited that he was being kept partially sedated to prevent Godzilla from detecting the cloaked ship and blasting it.

As Godzilla passed by Tokyo Tower, an arrow came flying out of the blue and pierced his gut. He roared defiantly and cast about for his assailant. Another arrow appeared, and then another, each striking their mark on Godzilla's torso. Just as a fourth arrow buzzed through the air, he caught a fleeting glimpse of Bowmaster perched atop a nearby tower. The Dianii was invisible again a moment later, concealed by the same technology as their ship's cloaking system; the personal device, however, seemed to fail whenever the subject made an abrupt change in posture, such as shooting an arrow and stringing another.

The idea occurred to Godzilla that he should watch for another arrow and attack when Bowmaster was momentarily exposed. But presently as nothing happened, it dawned on him that this was just what the other Dianii wanted him to do. He had a sudden sense of something approaching from behind, and rather than turn to face it, he lashed out with his tail. A charging Dianii was smashed into the side of a building, which collapsed and buried him screaming.

"Damn reptile!" Stroid bellowed. "Attention, hunters: Spearmaster is down! Proceed with lure approach!"

Minilla heard and wished he could warn his father of what was coming, but he was fighting just to stay awake despite the sedative IV plugged into his neck.

Godzilla turned his attention back toward Bowmaster, preparing to fire his nuclear breath as soon as his target was exposed. However, the arrow came too fast. It buried itself in Godzilla's throat, the head passing all the way through to the other side of his neck. Long barbs popped out that lodged the arrow in place; though he tried, Godzilla could not pull it out. He tried using his nuclear breath, but the damage to his throat prevented the gas from flowing up and out. Instead, he coughed up puffs of superheated smoke.

Bowmaster turned off his cloaking device and began firing arrows in rapid succession. Loathe to be turned into a pincushion, Godzilla charged headlong into the building where Bowmaster perched. The Dianii performed a backwards flip and landed on his feet on the opposite side before scurrying out of the way. Godzilla shrugged off the debris from the building as it crumbled around him and was about to give chase when the ground beneath him shook violently.

Trapmaster had threaded long wires wrapped in metal coils throughout the city's sewer system, and at the press of a button, they tore up through the streets and wrapped themselves around Godzilla, emitting a powerful electrical current that nearly paralyzed him. He tried to break free, but something else had emerged from the wreckage of the building he had smashed: a telescoping pole lined with nozzles that sprayed him with a dense green fog that condensed on Godzilla's skin and congealed into a semisolid mass that prevented him from moving entirely. The king of the monsters was stunned and frozen in place.

Honda gasped and Godzooky whimpered. Minilla sensed his father's plight and wished he could do something. He thought of the IV buried in his neck and tried pulling it out, but his hands refused to obey. He then thought back to his attempts to breathe nuclear fire. He always seemed to struggle with bringing the breath from his lungs and the energy from his plasma gland together in a gaseous form. His mind raced for an alternative.

Spearmaster, battered but still alive, advanced on his pinned down quarry with weapon at the ready. "Target immobilized!" he said with a chuckle. "Shall I put him out of our misery? Yowch! Hey!"

Godzooky had dive bombed Spearmaster, singing him with green flame. The Dianii recoiled and brandished his spear, intent on impaling the little monster on his next attack.

"NO!" Belvera screamed. "The psychic is with that flying one! Don't hurt either of them!"

"Oh, get off my ass, woman!" Spearmaster grumbled, thrusting his weapon upward. "I'm gonna kill that little-"

His voice failed him as he saw Battra charge. Spearmaster lunged out of the way as the black moth sent out his prismatic beams, but the resultant explosion still knocked the Dianii off his feet.

"Argh! Captain, help me!"

Stroid moaned, distraught at the loss of another warrior. "You were warned, Spearmaster. There's nothing I can do for you."

"But Captain!" panted Spearmaster, scrambling back to his feet. "I don't want to die like a fool!"

Belvera's voice rang out, "Then you shouldn't have acted like one!"

Batorite beams raked Spearmaster up and down, dicing him in a shower of blue-green blood.

Stroid averted his eyes and said to his remaining warriors, "Let's finish this already. Trapmaster, fry him."

There was a pause. Trapmaster replied nervously, _"Uh, boss...I can't."_

Stroid slammed both fists down on his console. "Why not?"

"_Something's happening to the capture gel!"_

Sure enough, the solution had lost its firmness and become runny slime. Godzilla was using his nuclear pulse to heat the capture gel, and it was now seeping into the coils, pushing them apart and shorting out the electronic components. The wires burned and the metal warped in the heat. Godzilla pushed against the grip of the snares and broke free at last.

Again Stroid descended into a rage. "No, no, no! Kill him! Bowmaster, Trapmaster, give him everything you've got!"

Minilla had sensed his grandfather's use of the nuclear pulse. It was something he himself had never considered trying, but now seemed like the perfect time.

* * *

Numo-ra had guessed that a creature was the source of the tremor, but otherwise he suspected nothing afoul. He deployed about two-thirds of his armed forces to the rendezvous point at the edge of his territory. It did not strike him as curious that the Xilien ships were flying low to the ground with laser cannons in attack position; all the better for dealing with this unseen threat! Whatever it was, Numo-ra could see the ground rising as it burrowed onward.

Salno had chosen to oversee the battle in person from one of the ships. At her command, Baragon ceased his progress. The Bilusaludo Vultures trained their weapons on the spot where the tunnel had apparently stopped. Numo-ra, piloting a double-sized Vulture, instructed his troops over the commlink in a hushed voice. "Ready…aim…"

Before he could give the order, the Xilien ships strafed the ground with lasers, destroying dozens of Vultures. There was mass panic among the Bilusaludo. Many of them turned their weapons toward the ships just as the ground burst wide open and the tunnel force poured onto the battlefield, again catching them unprepared.

"Traitors!" bellowed Numo-ra. "Come in, headquarters! Send reinforcements!"

* * *

Bowmaster got off one shot before being spotted. Godzilla still had the barbed bow stuck in his throat, so instead of using his ray, he made a bum rush toward his opponent. The hunter took off at a run, knowing he had no chance in a tussle with something twice his height and ten times his mass. He used the buildings as cover, ducking and weaving between them while continuing to send out arrow after arrow. Each hit slowed Godzilla slightly but only impeded his progress just enough to keep him from catching up.

Trapmaster had set plenty of other traps around the city, mostly variations on snares and tripwires. At a full charge, Godzilla could have plowed right through most of them, but the complex terrain of the cityscape kept him from picking up speed. With each trap he set off, he tripped and stumbled, occasionally smashing into a building, but still he came.

Honda and Godzooky watched from high up, hoping to catch a glimpse of _The Stranger_. Belvera approached them atop Krystalak. "Hello again, Doctor," said the dark fairy in a diplomatic voice. "I had hoped that your little forced sabbatical from humankind would give you a bit more pause before charging to their rescue."

Honda gestured toward the Dianii below. "And _I _would think that your mission to save the Earth would prioritize the indigenous population over…whoever these bozos are!"

Belvera groaned. "Sometimes, to do the right thing, one must ally with the wrong people."

Honda did not need telepathy to sense the conflict in her. "So, you do understand that this world isn't as simple as you want it to be! We have to make the same kinds of sacrifices. You're not breaking the cycle, just restarting it!"

Belvera knew her decision to join forces with the invaders seemed increasingly foolish, and while she felt she had to see it through, it was a difficult decision to defend. Instead, she tried to persuade Honda more directly. She stretched out her staff and said, "I think it's time you saw things from my point of view!"

The Batorite stone at the end of her staff glowed ominously, but nothing happened. Honda blinked in confusion. "Am I supposed to be getting sleepy or something?"

"N-no, n-n-no, bear with me." Belvera gave the staff a dramatic twirl and pointed it at Honda again. Still nothing. Then they both noticed that Honda's Muite amulet was matching the glow of Belvera's staff. The two magical stones were equally matched in their energy, making it impossible for one to control the other.

Honda smirked. "Well, you let me know if you get any other bright ideas. Until then…"

Godzooky swooped low toward Bowmaster and sent out a jet of green flame. The Dianii swung his bow, barely missing the little pest, and reached over his shoulder to retrieve another arrow from his quiver. However, he yanked his hand away, singed, and realized that the quiver was on fire. Cursing in Dianiadian, he swung the quiver off his back and saw that the arrows were all burnt beyond use. Godzilla was still right on his tail, and Bowmaster had no time for anything but to run faster and hope to find a place to lay low.

Belvera was growing tired of the Dianii's mistakes. Their failure would not only let Godzilla live but make it harder to convince Honda that Belvera's was the right side. As controlling her mind seemed to be out of the question, she tried reasoning again. "You must know that you can't win. You can't bring back the world you used to know, even if you somehow defeat the combined forces of seven armies!"

Godzooky flew closer to Krystalak while Honda eyed Belvera sardonically. "Haven't you heard? I have backup! Maybe you should check in with your green monkey pals!"

Belvera realized that Numo-ra had not checked in with her in some time. She reached out telepathically and was greeted with sounds of chaos.

"_Help us, Belvera!" _roared Numo-ra over the sounds of laserfire. _"We are under attack!"_

"What the hell is happening?"

"_The Xiliens have defected! They and another army have attacked our base!"_

Belvera could not believe what she was hearing. She knew T-2791 was gone but did not know who was leading the Xiliens now. Why would they turn on her?

Honda shook her head mockingly. "Oh, sweetie. I'm so sorry. You allied yourself with the wrong people!"

Belvera tried to ignore her as she contacted the Mysterians. "Commandant! Your assistance is needed!"

The Mysterian leader quaked in his boots. _"We never agreed to this! We don't want to fight anymore!"_

"Are you serious? Now that you've got some land to yourself you refuse to make a stand?"

"_I am sorry, Belvera. We only want to survive now. We are submerging the dome."_

"Damn you cowards! Come out and fight!"

Honda clicked her tongue loudly. "The ends don't justify the means if the means can't see you through to the end."

Belvera pointed her staff at Honda. "Silence! Before I blast you into a thousand shards! Others will rally to me! Ah, I think I see one of the Garoga's war machines coming right now!"

Sure enough, something huge came hurtling across Tokyo Bay, buzzing ominously. Godzilla turned to face the thing just as it smashed into him; he fell to the ground, blood gushing from his shoulder, while his assailant flew on unimpeded. The Terror Beast looped around and angled its legs downward, skidding across the ground before coming to a stop to loom over the toppled Godzilla.

Honda and Belvera's jaws both dropped in recognition.

"You have to be kidding me!"

"That loser again?"

Gigan had returned! The Garoga had fixed him up quite nicely. Although many of his original weapon systems were damaged beyond repair, including his scythe claws and the vertical saw on his torso, he was now equipped with a chainsaw mounted to his right arm and an energy cannon his left.

Godzilla tried to get up, still nursing a ghastly wound from the chainsaw. Gigan kicked him in the head, toppling him back to the ground, and fired his cannon. Godzilla shrieked as his chest was gashed deep and his ribs cracked. Gigan raised the chainsaw high above his head and prepared to bring it down in a beheading blow.

Stroid roared into his microphone, "No! That ugly chicken-lookin' bastard can't steal our quarry!"

Trapmaster responded, "Let me handle it!"

He flipped a switch on his portable console and launched a magnetized net that wrapped around Gigan's saw, stopping it from functioning. The cyborg monster looked around furiously for his unknown rival. Catching his opponent off guard, Godzilla lashed out with his tail. Gigan staggered, and an instant later Godzilla had pinned him to the ground and was straddling him, holding the cannon arm down with one hand while pummeling Gigan's face with the other.

Bowmaster leaped from behind a building, swinging a scourge wrapped in metal coils. He whipped it around Godzilla's neck and gave a hard tug. Godzilla's head was yanked roughly backward, and he clawed at the scourge in an attempt to free himself from it. Gigan kicked him off and stood up, ready to use his cannon again.

WHAM!

Something else metallic crashed into Gigan, toppling him. Jet Jaguar had arrive, and Kong was not far behind.

"Dammit!" shouted Belvera, kicking Krystalak's sides in anger, prompting a displeased moan. "It's just one big monster convention!"

Honda was still taking it all in when yet another monstrous shape appeared on the horizon: Mothra Ame! Battra, who had been circling above the battlefield while waiting for her, took off to meet his sister over the waters of Tokyo Bay. Belvera and Honda watched in silent apprehension as the Great Moths circled each other, crying out mournfully to each other with no apparent intent of attacking.

Far away on Infant Island, Mona and Lora spoke in unison to Ame, "Please, Mothra, do what you must to protect the Earth!"

"Please, Battra," said Belvera, "do what you must to protect the Earth!"

An uncanny stillness fell over air and sea for a short moment. Then, they clashed. Never in history had two Great Moths done battle, but now it had finally happened, and the life force of the Earth itself cried out in dismay, sending a chill down the spines of Belvera and her sisters.

* * *

Z-3865 and Salno's strategy seemed to be paying off. Although casualties on their side were heavy, the enemy's losses were worse, mostly due to their lack of monster muscle. Baragon and Mogu obliterated Vultures left and right; Gojirin was not as experienced or proficient a fighter, but her sheer strength, healing factor, and crimson spiral ray still made her a force to be reckoned with.

However, Numo-ra had devised a surprising countermeasure. Rather than focusing their attack on the enemy monsters, he directed the Vultures to attack the Xilien ships directly. Both vessels were heavily armored, but there was a limit to the punishment they could withstand, and their cannons could barely keep up with the smaller, faster machines whizzing by.

The combined army was still meting out more carnage than they sustained, but just when their victory seemed assured, Bilusaludo reinforcements arrived. In addition to more Vultures came dozens of Servum. The Bilusaludo maintained several breeds, including these which were trained for combat. Combat Servum had their natural teeth and claws replaced with ones made from an alien alloy, which was also infused into their hides. They were formidable creatures, able to tear through enemies organic and mechanical alike. They could also withstand heavy firepower; Mogu and Baragon's Muite beams could wound them but did not destroy them with as much ease as they could the Vultures. The Servum were smaller than the Royal Dragons or Gojirin, but there were many more of them and they were more agile, balancing out the discrepancy in monster might.

The Vulture units turned their attention back to the fighting on the ground while the Servum took over the attack on the ships. The metal claws and fangs slashed at their armor plating, peeling it away layer by layer. The vessels could barely defend themselves against them with their fixed cannons, and the ground forces had to divide their attention between fighting the Vultures and sniping Servum off the ships.

Toruzon, nephew of the disgraced Malmez, was among the troops and saw that the tide of battle was turning against them. Amidst the chaos, he saw Numo-ra's oversized Vulture mowing down his allies. Desperate to win, Toruzon took the Muite spear of a fallen comrade, wielding it in one hand and his own in the other. He raced toward Numo-ra with a fierce warcry: "SEEEEEATOPIAAAAAA!"

Using his telekinetic power, Toruzon leaped high into the air onto Numo-ra's Vulture. He plunged both spears into its rear thrusters, causing an explosion that tore the machine apart. In his final moments, Toruzon felt a great swell of pride in his courageous sacrifice for the sake of the kingdom, while Numo-ra felt nothing but a fleeting sense of surprise just before both their lives were snuffed out.

Yet the battle continued. Toruzon's heroic display did not seem to have made even the slightest dent in the Bilusaludo's vicious attack, nor had the demise of their master slowed the onslaught of the Servum. They were still winning.

Gojirin looked up to see Servum crawling into one of the Xilien ships through a gap they had created in its hull. If one of the vessels was destroyed, the other would have to retreat, along with the remainder of the army. Barugon and Mogu were overwhelmed by Servum piling onto them. Infantry fell by the score to Servum and Vulture alike. The fight was as good as lost.

So Gojirin decided to change the game. She, like her grandfather, had powerful telepathic abilities. She reached into the minds of all the Servum, feeling all of the pain they had experienced in the course of being trained to fight and having their bodies mutilated so they could be armored. Every last one of the creatures stopped fighting momentarily as those awful memories came back to them at Gojirin's bidding. Then she made them an offer: _"Join us. Turn your rage on those who did this to you. Make them pay. Help us, and we will set you free."_

The captive creatures hesitated. The possibility of escaping the abuse they had suffered seemed impossible. The Vulture pilots took notice of their hesitation and grew impatient, not understanding the cause. One pilot bellowed at a nearby Servum, "Get back to it, you worthless mutt!" and fired a shot that was meant to stun but instead slew the bewildered creature.

That was all it took. The remaining Servum turned on their masters, demolishing the Vultures with little difficulty. The Bilusaludo knew within seconds that this development would spell their doom if they stood their ground. Without a leader, they scattered rather than making an organized retreat. The battle came to a messy end at last. The combined army broke into cheers of celebration, but while Gojirin was proud of her quick thinking in saving the day, she was mostly shaken by the harrowing experience of combat. She never wanted to fight anything or anyone again as long as she lived.

* * *

Belvera knew the outcome of the battle in Russia immediately. Of the seven races who had pledged loyalty to her, the Xiliens had defected, the Mysterians had lost their nerve, the Kilaak and Natarl were offworld, and now the Bilusaludo were in full retreat. That left the Dianii and Garoga, the most petty and juvenile of the lot, as her only allies.

Honda received the news from Salno and passed it on enthusiastically. "Get up, Godzilla! We're winning!"

Godzilla stood up, the metal scourge still wrapped tight around his neck. Bowmaster gave it another rough tug, and Godzilla gagged, coughing hoarsely. The Dianii grinned, thinking he finally had his quarry on a rope. The scourge was magnetized to itself, making it impossible for Godzilla to pull it off. He continued to wheeze as the breath was choked out of him.

Jet Jaguar and Kong fired everything they had at Gigan, but he was agile enough to dodge nearly all of it, and the shots that did make their mark were not enough to prevent him from closing distance. His cannon, though not strong enough to rupture their armor, packed enough punch to stagger them when fired at point blank range. His saw was still constricted by the mesh net, but it worked just fine as a club.

But then he turned his back on Kong for just a second too long. The cyborg ape seized Gigan's tail and swung him around, slamming him into a skyscraper that crumbled on top of him. Gigan yanked his tail free and tried to regain his feet. Jet Jaguar speared him from the side and grabbed onto his cannon arm. The android pulled the barrel apart, warping the metal and damaging the internal components until the power core exploded. The resulting blast incinerated nearly an entire district and sent Gigan, Jet Jaguar, and Kong flying in different directions.

Bowmaster continued to toy with Godzilla, laughing as the monster sputtered, now spitting up blood. "Haha! You silly brute! Not so tough without your one good trick, are you? Hehehe!"

Godzilla suddenly stopped coughing and looked Bowmaster dead in the eyes, killing his laughter. The monster swished something solid around in his mouth and spat it out. The object landed at Bowmaster's feet and he glanced down in horror to see the shaft of the barbed arrow he had embedded in Godzilla's throat. The scourge had broken the ends off, and far from gasping from air, he had been working his muscles to dislodge the rest and turn it vertical so he could bring it up.

Bowmaster dropped his end of the scourge and ran for his life. Godzilla's nuclear breath rose in his throat, emitting enough ionizing radiation to destroy the electromagnet and free himself. He followed Bowmaster with his ray, burning down every building behind him. The hunter threw himself flat to the ground and activated his cloaking device. Godzilla stomped toward where he had last seen him, snarling as he looked up and down the rows of buildings. Bowmaster felt a growing terror that he would be stepped on.

Trapmaster was still hidden, but the multi-way battle around him was getting so wild that it was only a matter of time until his hiding place was exposed and destroyed in the chaos. "Hey, Cap! Cap, get me out of here quick!"

"No!" Stroid growled. "We fight and win or we die as warriors!"

"_We? WE!? Screw you, Stroid! You want to talk that 'die as warriors' __nonsense__, YOU get down here!"_

Stroid reached for his sidearm. "I might just take you up on that…and maybe blow your head off while I'm at it!"

"_Do it! Do it, you coward!"_

Stroid was seriously considering the possibility when he heard a strange noise behind him. He spun around in his seat and saw that Minilla had succeeded in melting through the bars of his cage using his atomic pulse. He was now standing right in front of his captor with a triumphant grin on his face. Stroid tugged at his sidearm, and Minilla preempted him with a burst of white flame. The Dianii captain's clothing ignited in a flash, causing him to scream and thrash about wildly. In his panic, he bumped into the control console and switched off _The Stranger_'s auto-hover function.

Belvera felt Stroid's agony as he burned to death. With a beleaguered sigh, she tried one more time to reach the Garoga Emperor. "Are you there? We're running out of muscle here."

She was pleasantly surprised at first to sense the Emperor alive and cognizant. _"I'm on my way. Gigan brought part of the castle down when he escaped and we lost quite a few ships and crew. But there are still plenty of us to defeat him!"_

Belvera's initial grin dissipated. "Wait - defeat _him_? You do mean Godzilla, right?"

"_Oh, we'll get to him - once we make Gigan pay for…"_

This particular display of petty stupidity beat all. Belvera shrieked and beat her fists against Krystalak's back, causing him to hiss at her and Honda to giggle scornfully. The dark fairy stopped, took a few deep breaths, and folded her arms crossly, turning her face away from her human rival. "Don't say it. Dear Earth, don't say it."

Honda shrugged. "I told you so."

Belvera flinched as though she had been pinched. "Yes. Yes, you did. Fine." She looked at Honda with an embarrassed frown. "But this isn't over yet!"

Bowmaster did not get stepped on. Godzilla walked right by him, still glancing between tall buildings, expecting his opponent to be cowering behind any given one of them. As he turned the corner passed Bowmaster, the hunter breathed a sigh of relief and climbed to his feet.

He had forgotten about Godzilla's long tail, which whacked him over the head.

Before Bowmaster could flee, Godzilla had spun around and plowed right through the building between him. The Dianii made a break for it, but the distance between them was too close. Godzilla made one big lunge and tackled him to the ground.

Bowmaster struggled for a moment, then a voice reverberated inside his head. _"Let me show you just how good my 'one trick' is!"_

The Dianii just barely felt the heat from Godzilla's ray on his cheeks before it enveloped his entire head and flash cooked his brain.

_The Stranger_'s cloaking device glitched as it fell from the sky, making it visible for brief periods of time. Godzilla watched it fall and pass right through Tokyo Tower without disturbing the structure, revealing that Trapmaster had torn down the real tower and replaced it with a hologram to conceal his hiding spot. Trapmaster froze in place, hoping he had not been seen, but one glare from Godzilla banished the thought. Like Bowmaster, he only felt the heat of Godzilla's ray for a fraction of a second.

Jet Jaguar and Kong were still recovering from the blast, but Gigan was shaking himself off in preparation to return to the fight. He clacked his metal mandibles together in excitement to see that Godzilla had his back to him. Now was his chance! But then _The Stranger _became fully visible again right above Gigan, who realized too late that it was falling right onto him.

Godzilla turned just in time to see _The Stranger _crash; he barely noticed Gigan being almost crushed underneath it. His attention was focused on the little one inside. Godzilla rushed over to the Dianii ship and wrenched the door off. Minilla was so excited that he jumped into his grandfather's arms, nearly knocking him over.

"_My little one!" _Godzilla cooed, hugging him tightly._ "I am so glad you're alright!"_

"_I did it, Grandpa! I defeated the bad guy!"_

Godzilla looked into the ship and saw Stroid's burned corpse. _"Oh! So you did!" _The realization evoked mixed feelings in him; he was glad to see that Minilla was just as strong as he had hoped, but he had also hoped his grandchildren would never need to take a life, and now they all had.

The sounds of battle now drew all eyes to the bay, where Mothra and Battra continued to duel. The godlike beings were evenly matched, throwing off a constant barrage of energy attacks that obscured both of them from the onlookers. It was impossible to see who, if anyone, was winning.

Belvera shuddered, fearing that the Earth itself would suffer if the fight dragged on much longer. She contacted the Emperor again. "Could you hurry it up? Gigan is down, but if you get here quickly, you might be able to kill Godzilla yourself."

"_Fine. We are almost there. Just-wait, what is that?"_

"What is what?"

"_Something just entered the atmosphere overhead. It's coming straight toward us. Oh! Oh, no! Belvera, we must leave! It's a-"_

The Emperor's brainwaves ceased. Belvera looked past the Great Moths and saw distant explosions over the sea as something wiped out the Garoga fleet in seconds. Then she saw it, shining golden beneath the late morning sun. It might have struck her as beautiful if not for the fear that filled her instead. She grasped Krystalak's reins tightly and stammered, "B-B-B-Battra! Stand down!"

Both Great Moths stopped fighting simultaneously and looked at Belvera in confusion, as did Honda. "What? Are you surrendering?"

Belvera burst into tears. "Yes! Dear Earth, I surrender! But please help me!"

Honda wanted to be indignant, but the unmitigated horror in Belvera's eyes chilled her to the bone. "You want..._my _help?"

"Please, Doctor! A Planet Eater has come! It'll kill us all!"

Honda looked at the golden entity streaking toward them and remembered Keiko's vision. "Ghidorah?"

Belvera nodded, trembling from head to toe as the tears kept flowing. "Yes! _King _Ghidorah!"


	7. The King is Dead - Long Live the King!

King Ghidorah's appearance was equal parts beautiful and terrifying. He looked similar to a Japanese dragon, with three long necks each ending in a separate head, a pair of fan-like wings in place of arms, two powerful legs and two prehensile tales, all of it covered in scales of gold that shone like stars. The cosmic beast did not roar, hiss, or growl, but instead seemed to…sing. Each head let out a separate high note in a vibrato voice reminiscent of a reverberating bell. Like the rest of him, his vocalizations had a majestic but profoundly unnatural quality.

Belvera spoke to Ame. "Mothra, flee! You must live!"

Ame's angelic telepathic voice replied, _"This is my fight, more so than it is any of yours. I should stay!"_

"No! You are the last Great Moth! If you die, the planet will be vulnerable!"

Mona's voice joined them. _"What is it? Belvera, what is happening?"_

Belvera's weeping erupted anew. "I'm sorry, sister! It's a Planet Eater! He followed us here! I'm so sorry!"

Lora cried out, _"A Planet Eater! Mothra, come back to us now!"_

Ame refused to back down. _"If this King Ghidorah is indeed a Planet Eater, then you will not defeat him without my help. I am staying!"_

Honda swallowed nervously. "What is a…Planet Eater?"

Belvera shuddered. "It's exactly what it sounds like. This will be the end of our world if we don't make a stand!"

"_All the more reason," _said Ame, _"why I should stand with you!"_

"_Ame,"_ said Mona, _"do as you see fit, but if things turn sour, you must come back to us so we can regroup and figure out another plan of defense!"_

"_Very well," _said Ame, _"but we _will _win!"_

Honda looked at Belvera, whose eyes were wide with fear. If something could scare the dark fairy that badly…

Godzilla let go of Minilla. _"Run, my boy! Get out of here!"_

"_But I can fight!"_

"_No! Not this fight! Run! Save yourself!" _Godzilla looked up to Honda. _"Please, take my little ones from here! Protect them any way you can!"_

Honda had rarely sensed such desperation in Godzilla. She nodded. "I will. Minilla, Godzooky - we're leaving!"

Godzooky flew south, away from Tokyo, and Minilla followed on foot. Honda looked back just as King Ghidorah arrived in the city and all hell broke loose.

Godzilla, Battra, and Mothra concentrated their energy attacks on the invader. The beams produced showers of sparks upon impact but caused no apparent harm. Ghidorah's wings kicked up hurricane force winds, toppling building after building. Godzilla planted his feet firmly on the ground and covered his eyes to protect them from the flying debris. The gusts died down momentarily and he lowered his arms to see Ghidorah standing right before him. The golden dragon was nearly twice Godzilla's height, and each head looked down at him showing the same combination of curiosity and condescension with which a human might regard a cockroach. Then the central neck coiled around Godzilla's throat and both legs wrapped around his waist as Ghidorah rose into the air. Godzilla struggled against the alien's grip, but he was as helpless as a child in Ghidorah's grasp.

Battra and Mothra attacked again with their beams, targeting Ghidorah's wings. They looked membranous, thin and flimsy compared to the rest of him, but they were just as durable. Ghidorah's two free mouths spewed jagged golden beams that crackled with a similar musical quality to his voice. Mothra narrowly avoided one beam, but the other struck Battra's left wing, shattering the crystalline outer layer and sending him careening to the ground.

As Ghidorah flew higher and higher, Godzilla emitted his atomic pulse. This created a concussive blast that knocked Ghidorah off balance but did not visibly wound him. He did, however, loosen his grip on Godzilla, dropping him nearly three kilometers straight down onto the Diet Building. Ghidorah then blasted him with three streaks of golden lightning, inflicting deep wounds and showering Godzilla in his own blood, chunks of flesh, and even bone fragments, as he shrieked in the most horrific pain he had ever felt.

Mothra Ame fluttered her wings and summoned a rainbow beam that streamed down from the clouds onto King Ghidorah, blasting him out of the sky to land near the Diet Building. Godzilla staggered to his feet, wounds still not quite healed, and seized Ghidorah's tails, drawing on all of his strength to lift the colossal dragon and slam him back down. He tried to do it again, but the exertion caused partially-healed bones in his shoulders and chest to fracture again, forcing him to let go. Ghidorah regained his feet and rounded on Godzilla, sending out more golden beams. Godzilla countered with his nuclear breath, and while this time he succeeded in dislodging a few golden scales, Ghidorah's lightning cut far deeper. This time, Godzilla's right arm was severed at the elbow, and his ribs were partly visible through a gash in his chest. He staggered backward and collapsed again onto his back.

Battra was airborne again but unable to get much speed or altitude on account of his injured wing. He attacked Ghidorah from behind with his prismatic beams, again inflicting only superficial damage. The alien dragon retaliated with lightning, further damaging Battra's wings and cracking his exoskeleton over his head. Yellow blood spurted from the gap, and the dark moth crashed to the ground, moaning in agony and fear as his life ebbed slowly away.

Belvera, still watching overhead astride Krystalak, could tell that the battle was lost. She saw Ame preparing another rainbow attack but discouraged her. "No, Mothra! You'll lose if you face him alone! We both need to get out of here, now!'

Ame looked at Battra and then at Godzilla. She hated the idea of leaving them at the Planet Eater's mercy, but she feared it was too late to save them. Ghidorah's three heads cackled malevolently, taunting Ame to defy him. She wanted more than anything to kill him there and now, to get revenge for Godzilla, Battra, and all the other worlds Ghidorah had destroyed. However, she knew Belvera and the Wise Ones were right; as a Great Moth, she was bound to the Earth's life force, and letting herself die would weaken the planet. She heeded her elders' advice and retreated.

King Ghidorah was disappointed to see Ame flying away scared. Not that it mattered. He reared his heads, ready for the killing blow, but something struck him from behind. Ghidorah turned to see Godzilla, just barely staying upright on one knee, panting with exertion after depleting most of his remaining energy in that last nuclear attack. The glow from his plasma gland could be seen through the wound in his chest. Ghidorah saw it, and an idea dawned on him. He fired all three of his beams at once, concentrating them on Godzilla's chest.

Godzilla's ribcage cracked right open and his plasma gland ruptured. He threw back his head and let out a terrible scream that Honda could hear far off in the distance. She looked back in the direction of Tokyo and was nearly blinded by a thermonuclear explosion. As the angry mushroom cloud advanced toward the stratosphere, Honda felt as though a cord inside her head had been cut. Her connection to Godzilla had been severed completely.

The King of the Monsters was dead.

* * *

One hour later, Honda sat high on the steps of the Infant Island pyramid. She was too dehydrated to cry any more tears; now she was just shaking. She had felt Godzilla die. She had felt his horror in that final moment and the nothingness that followed. The trauma remained with her long afterward, refusing to let her mind refocus on anything else.

Honda was broken from her trance by the arrival of an old friend. It was Mister Ito, a Japanese sailor who had accompanied the _Or__i__on Maru _expedition to the Adonas and elected to stay when the others left. He gave her a fleeting smile and a bowl of water.

"Th-thank…" was all Honda could get out between chest-heaving sobs. She took the bowl, which trembled in her hands, and drank slowly.

Ito sat down next to her and said softly, "Would you rather have some company or be alone?"

Honda swallowed her drink. "Just…just sit with me."

Ito nodded understandingly and sat by her side without another word. They remained seated for a while outside the apex chamber of the pyramid. Mona, Lora, and Belvera were inside, conferring silently in the telepathic language of the Wise Ones. Honda wanted to join them, but she was afraid to talk about what had happened and was continuing to happen. Then a terrible thought occurred to her.

Honda stood up and barged into the apex chamber. "Ghidorah!" she muttered frightfully. "Where is Ghidorah? What are you going to do about him?"

The three sisters looked at her in surprise before glancing back at each other. Mona spoke quietly, "King Ghidorah was almost killed by the explosion - almost. He will be fully recovered soon, and then…" Her voice trailed off.

Belvera finished the thought. "And then he will do what he always does."

Honda was growing tired of this ambiguity. "And what exactly does he do? You call him a Planet Eater - not _the _Planet Eater, but _a _Planet Eater. Are there others like him? Please tell me. I want to understand what we're dealing with."

Mona and Belvera both hung their heads in despair. Honda sensed that they had expected this day to come and were on the verge of surrendering to the inevitable.

Lora, although distraught, had just enough hope left in her to be up for explaining the situation. "You're right, Kumi. You do deserve an explanation, especially after all you have done for us."

Lora reached into Honda's mind and showed her images of the universe in all its vastness - stars, planets, nebulae, and all other manner of cosmic body. Honda felt her mind traveling through time and space as Lora's voice guided her journey.

"_As you know, the gift of life is not confined to our planet. Many other inhabited worlds exist throughout the universe. For eons, life has thrived, maintaining a delicate balance between the organic and the elemental. However, sometimes that balance fails, and the universe must correct it by force."_

Before Honda's eyes were now monsters of many forms, each more indescribably horrific than the last.

"_These are the Planet Eaters, beings of cosmic power birthed from the essence of the universe to defend itself when life exceeds its place. Bagan punishes those mortals who tamper with __cosmic __powers beyond their control and threaten the __fabric of the __universe. Hedorah hastens __the__ destruction __of__ polluted worlds to prevent that pollution from spreading. __The others are __Gamoni, Erabus, Rokmutul, Sasori, Miba, __and __Gabara, __each__ with its own purpose. In truth, 'Planet Eater' is not an accurate name for what they do. Most of them will leave something of the world they have conquered. Hedorah, for example, poisons the environment for the polluters, but never ravages a planet beyond what nature can repair when given enough time. There is, however, one exception."_

Honda's vision was filled by three golden visages.

"_Ghidorah specializes in exterminating races who bring war to other worlds. However, after killing thousands of such races, he himself has become infected by __their blood__lust. He delights in his wrath and often destroys entire planets; perhaps at first he did this to prevent any chance of the offending civilizations __from __return__ing__, but now it seems that he does it for his own satisfaction. As a result, Ghidorah became the gravest __of all __threat__s__to the universe __and was himself pursued across __multiple galaxies__ by the first and most feared of the Planet Eaters, known simply as Destroyer. But Ghidorah bested Destroyer in combat and absorbed his essence, multiplying his power and giving rise to King Ghidorah. He continues to terrorize world after world, absorbing the lives of all the things he kills. All of the Planet Eaters demonstrate longevity that defies mortal comprehension, but King Ghidorah is the only one to obtain something close to true immortality. Each planet he consumes replenishes and increases his power, meaning that as long as there are new worlds to conquer, Ghidorah will survive and grow. Remember, though, that the universe is vast but finite. One day, there will be nothing left but King Ghidorah, and only then, at the end of existence, will his wrath end, too."_

The psychic projection faded and Honda was back in the apex chamber. Belvera had sat down and begun to cry again. "This is my fault," she sobbed. "When I came back to Earth, others followed, and Ghidorah followed them. I just…I wanted to save my homeworld, and instead I've…oh, no! He'll kill everything!"

Mona sat down and put an army around Belvera's shoulders. "You never meant for this to happen, nor you could have foreseen it."

"Yes, I could have!" Belvera groaned. "I knew Ghidorah was out there and what he could do, but I…I fed the violence and the war here. I put a target on our backs thinking I was saving us."

Honda interjected, "What's done is done. If you're right that Ghidorah will recover soon, then we need to act now. What are our options?"

"Escape," murmured Belvera, "through the Dimension Tide. We may be able to evacuate the planet."

"We can't," said Lora. "We don't have enough spacecraft, and even if we did, he might catch up to us."

Belvera shook her head. "I don't think he would. We'd take as many as we can and-"

Lora interrupted with unusual sternness. "No! We don't leave anyone behind. There has to be another way."

Honda had an idea. It was a little outside her expertise and may, she reasoned, be useless as a practical suggestion, but she figured it was worth a shot. "Is there any way to drive Ghidorah back through the portal?"

The fairies were intrigued by this possibility. "I don't know," said Belvera. "I doubt we could lure him all the way there."

"We might not have to!" said Mona, standing up and pacing with a sudden frantic energy. "The Dimension Tide can project portals across a long distance. It was able to reach Earth from Mars when the aliens used it to arrive just beyond our atmosphere."

"Maybe," said Belvera, "but wouldn't the portal swallow the planet along with Ghidorah?"

"Not necessarily," continued Mona. "The Dimension Tide can project different sizes of portals. A small one fired directly onto Ghidorah could ensnare him and only a portion of his immediate environment. Yes. Yes, I think it could work."

Lora nodded in agreement. "Let's reach out to the Kilaak and see what they can do."

* * *

Bosh'to was surprised to be contacted by Belvera and her sisters.

"Please, my lady,"said Mona after explaining their tentative plan, "we need your help."

"_I understand your predicament, Wise Ones, but I don't think it can be done."_

Honda, who was also listening in, felt her heart sink. Lora said the word on all of their lips: "Why?"

"_We've made it to Mars, but Ghidorah has destroyed almost everything here and badly damaged the Dimension Tide. We can repair it, but it will take time - more than the time Ghidorah needs to regenerate."_

"Won't you try?" said Mona. "We'll do our best to buy you as much time as you need."

"_We can try. However, even if we get the Dimension Tide back online, once Ghidorah is on the move, he will be almost impossible to __catch__ him from Mars. The projector is not designed to catch moving targets, and even if it could, __the singularity__ would take nearly a minute to reach Earth, long enough for Ghidorah to be far outside the maximum capture range for any singularity small enough to not seriously damage the __planet__."_

Belvera hung her head in despair. "Well…there goes that plan."

"_I'm sorry," _said Bosh'to. _"We intend to use the Dimension Tide to escape from this solar system. If we fire it at Ghidorah and fail, powering it up a second time will take too long to guarantee my people's escape. We will repair it to the best of our ability, and then we will leave."_

"Wait!" said Honda. "Mona, you said something about buying time."

The pink fairy shrugged dejectedly. "Wishful thinking."

"But would it be possible? To slow Ghidorah's regeneration, or to stall him once he's active again?"

The fairies exchanged an uncertain glance. Lora stepped forward. "What are you thinking, Kumi?"

"We've seen that he can be wounded. Maybe he can be incapacitated again, or even killed outright if we have enough power."

"What kind of power?" asked Mona.

"I'm not sure, but there must be a way. I think we should convene with Queen Salno and the others." Now she addressed Bosh'to. "My lady, we may need your help, too, but I understand that you have your people's welfare to consider and a limited window in which to escape if you desire. We hope you will lend us your aid, but if you do leave, we wish you well on your journey."

After a moment of contemplation, Bosh'to bowed her head. _"We will do whatever we can."_

Honda returned the bow just before Bosh'to's image faded. Belvera scoffed. "It's not like she had much of a choice. Ghidorah would have caught up to them eventually."

"I know," said Honda, "and I think maybe she did, too. That's why I didn't mention it. If we want to get through this, we need to appeal to empathy and understanding rather than make demands."

Lora and Mona nodded in agreement. Belvera smiled approvingly. "Fair enough. Everything may just work out okay if we have that kind of attitude on our side."

* * *

Within another hour, Belvera had successfully arranged a telepathic conference between herself, her sisters, Honda, Z-3865, Bosh'to, Salno, Numo-ra's surviving second-in-command Katu-mo Sura-ko, and various human leaders. The Mysterians could not be reached, for they had doubled down on their decision to burrow into the ground and hide from Ghidorah's wrath.

Most of the attending parties were discouraged, too. Salno and the other Seatopians were familiar with the concept of Planet Eaters, while the aliens were familiar with Ghidorah specifically and Z-3865 suspected her people had made contact with him before. "Our records of our own past are incomplete," she explained, "but what remains indicates that Planet X was destroyed by something called Zero that came from the sky and brought lightning."

Honda realized at once where she had heard that before: in a vision she experienced after a psychic encounter with the Xilien computer M11. Remembering the terrible destruction she had seen in that vision reinforced just how much was at stake in the coming battle.

After a bit of commiserating about their chances and their losses thus far, Belvera spoke up impatiently, "So, does anyone have any concrete suggestions? Is there any kind of power source that can destroy Ghidorah completely?"

An American naval commander present folded his arms and said scoldingly, "Well, we _might have _been able to nuke him out of existence, but all of our nuclear weapons were destroyed by the aliens once they took over, so we can kiss that option goodbye."

Z-3865 sighed. "I doubt your weapons would have kept him down anyway. Godzilla's meltdown only incapacitated him and he is nearly recovered already."

Salno added, "We have vast quantities of Muite. That might do the trick if we are able to convert it into weapons."

"Can you do that in time?" asked Mona. "How long would it take to weaponize and transport a sufficient quantity?"

"Hard to say. Its healing properties are so innate that we can pull a Muite stone right off the wall and use it for medicinal purposes, but turning it into weapons would require a long conversion process."

Sura-ko scratched her bearded chin. "What if there was a weapon we could load the Muite into, or another means of channeling its destructive power directly at Ghidorah?"

"I suppose that would work, but we don't have any such weapon. What could we use as a vessel anyway?"

The answer popped into Honda's mind so suddenly she hardly dared believe it. "Godzilla!"

All eyes turned to her. Belvera cocked her head skeptically. "He's dead, Kumi. What do you plan to do, stuff him full of Muite and hope he combusts?"

"You're halfway there. If the Muite is a natural regenerator, enough of it could bring him back to life. He could then channel that energy in his attacks, enough to kill Ghidorah."

Salno nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Yes, I think that might work! We could do that!"

"The question," said Sura-ko, "is how to transport it in sufficient quantities."

"Simple," said Honda. "We have enough ships and flying beasts on our side to transport as much as we need. Where it becomes problematic is that Tokyo has been irradiated, and it won't be safe for any vessel or creature to enter except for Godzilla's offspring."

Belvera remained unconvinced. "Ghidorah will be awake long before they can revive Godzilla. There just isn't time."

"We will make time," said Z-3865. "We can mobilize a diversion to draw Ghidorah away from Tokyo long enough to do what needs to be done."

Lora was shocked at the suggestion. "Do you understand what that would cost you? Nobody has ever fought a Planet Eater and survived. Your losses will be catastrophic!"

There was a moment of deafening silence from the committee. Then Belvera spoke. "This will take as much people power as we can spare, and maybe then some. To engage Ghidorah directly would mean certain death for most of your forces. We cannot in good faith make such a demand of anyone. This must be your decision."

Z-3865 nodded. "We will do it."

The Xilien's reaffirmation was followed by the rest of the leaders pledging their support one after the other. Belvera winked at Honda, who appreciated the fairy's decision to take a page from her playbook. "Alright," said Honda, "let's draw up a game plan and get started!"


	8. The Final War

King Ghidorah had assimilated the life energy of a thousand vanquished planets. This vast, virtually unquantifiable reserve of energy allowed him to travel across any distance of space, overwhelm any opponent with sheer power, and recover from almost any wound. The thermonuclear explosion that turned most of Tokyo into a blackened crater had blasted off most of his outer layer of scales and the radiation had caused some internal damage, leaving him unconscious. However, his healing factor went into full effect right away, and within four hours, he was as bad as new.

Unbeknownst to Ghidorah, a combined fleet of human, Xilien, and Bilusaludo aircraft were stationed waiting for him at the northern edge of the city, beyond the radiation danger zone. As soon as the monster started to move, he was bombarded on all sides by every possible variety of projectile and energy weapon. Unscathed, the three-headed demon cackled defiantly and lunged toward the attackers. Immediately, the ships scattered, but most of them continued northward, drawing Ghidorah after them.

Watching from the lead Xilien vessel, Z-3865 alerted the rest of the alliance that Ghidorah was on the move. It was all a part of their plan.

The King Ghidorah elimination strategy consisted of two phases. Phase 1, designated the Grasper plan, would lure him to the chosen capture point on Frios Island, a remote island in the Bering Sea covered in ice, devoid of life. Once he was close, the Kilaak would activate Dimension Tide and target the island while planetside forces did their best to contain Ghidorah. Meanwhile, Honda would oversee Phase 2, the Crusher plan, transporting mass quantities of Muite to Tokyo and reviving Godzilla. Ghidorah would then be led back to Tokyo, where Godzilla would hopefully be able to overpower him.

As Ghidorah chased the fleet northward, Baragon and Mogu finished excavating Muite from the Seatopian caves and brought it to the surface of the red sand island. Waiting for them were Mothra, Gojirin, Rodan, and Anguirus. The flying creatures made their way to Tokyo over the sea, while the rest traveled through a tunnel made by Baragon; there would be a long gap between the arrival of the airborne and subterranean groups, and it was anyone's guess if Godzilla would stand a chance with only the first group's resources…or at all.

Honda and Belvera, again riding aback Godzooky and Krystalak respectively, both watched over Tokyo in anticipation of the coming battle. Hovering beyond the radiation danger zone, they were too far away to clearly see Godzilla's remains. Though she knew he was dead, Honda could not help trying to speak to Godzilla. _"Hey, big guy. You in there? We really need you now."_

As expected, there was no response.

Minilla had also returned to Tokyo. Honda said to him, _"I'm sorry to ask this of you, but can you look at the bod...um, at your grandfather, I mean...and tell me what you see?"_

With a sad coo, Minilla approached Godzilla's body and looked over the wounds, psychically relaying to Honda what he was seeing. Although his body was partly in tact, he had various injuries that had not healed. These included a missing arm, shattered bones, and, most notably, a huge gap in the torso where his plasma gland had ruptured. The success of the Crusher plan would depend on whether there was enough left of that organ for it to be regenerated, and it was impossible to be sure just by looking.

Sharing a worried look with Bevera, Honda muttered nervously, "If this crazy idea works, do you plan on sticking around?"

Belvera sighed. "If Earth survives, I won't ever abandon it again."

* * *

Yuma had desperately wanted to accompany the psychics to Frios Island, but he realized to his grief just before their departure that his own powers had vanished along with his Batorite pendant. Instead, he now sat dejectedly on Keiko's bed with her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm worthless," he moaned. "I helped make this mess, and now I have nothing to do but sit here and watch as the Earth crumbles!"

"Don't talk like that," said Keiko. "We'll get through this!"

"It won't be any thanks to me."

"We've all made mistakes, Adam. It wasn't just you. Stop beating yourself up!"

Yuma sighed. "I know I've told you about this before, but I was a soldier in World War II, and I felt so much guilt after the atomic bombings that I became a doctor to make up for the part I had played. Yet no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't outrun my shadow. I helped reactivate the Gargantua experiments, I helped the Red Bamboo harness ORGA…"

"Under duress! That wasn't your choice!"

"But joining the Seekers was. So was sticking with Belvera when the Guardians were defeated. Now I've watched all of my hard work come undone as a result. All those years of trying to do good to make up for the bad, and now I've more than canceled it all out. I've got nothing to show for it."

Keiko stood up and placed a hand under Yuma's chin, turning it so that he faced her. "You've got _me _to show for it, haven't you? And plenty of other patients whose lives you saved! This isn't a zero sum game. You can still do a lot of good for the world. You may have made mistakes, but you never did anything without good intent. I still believe in you."

Yuma was still struggling under his emotions, but having Keiko to share the burden made it a little better. "Thank you, Keiko."

Keiko sat down next to him and took his hand. "Shall we check in on Kumi?"

"I suppose. Have you really gotten that powerful?"

"Sure! Let's try."

Seconds later, they both heard Honda's voice in their heads. _"Hey. Everything is going to plan so far. Rodan, Mothra, and Mogu have just arrived with the Muite. Minilla and Godzooky are carrying it into the city now."_

Yuma's gut instinct upon hearing Honda's voice was to desperately beg and apologize, but he was unsure how she would respond. Instead, he simply said, "Good luck."

"_Thank you, Adam." _There was a moment of silence. Yuma was only hearing Honda's voice through Keiko, so he was not sure what Honda was thinking during that pause. Finally, she spoke again. _"I hope we see each other soon, old friend."_

"Ditto," said Yuma, holding back tears of relief.

* * *

Ghidorah pursued the fleet toward Frios, sending out bolts of golden lightning all the way. As they passed over Mount Fuji, the Mysterians in their submerged dome below watched him fly by with a sense of apprehension.

The dome's climate controls allowed them to breathe, but not enough to speak. They therefore had donned breathing masks to allow them to discuss an important issue, one which they had been debating since receiving word of Ghidorah's arrival; they were not shouting over each other so much as grumbling just loudly enough to hear each other.

"While the Planet Eater is distracted, we can escape this doomed planet."

"But we would not make it far! We cannot outrun him!"

"We only need to outrun him to Mars and activate the Dimension Tide."

"And then what? Where do we go?"

"This is the first habitable planet we've found in a thousand generations."

"Surely there can't be just the one left! We can resume our search…"

"For another thousand generations?"

"I can't go back to living that way, slowly wasting away in space."

"But we would be alive, and our progeny would have a chance!"

"What progeny? Most of us are sterile, and our masters of medicine predict that either our grandchildren or great grandchildren will all be sterile."

"That's only two to three generations in which to find a new planet."

"It may be plenty! We'll never know if we don't try!"

"Why are we even debating this? If we stay, we die!"

"We have the technology to fight back! Let us join with the others!"

"And be crushed by the Planet Eater along with them?"

"Better to die in battle with a god than to live in shame."

The Commandant used a microphone to speak and be heard over the rest. As the debate dragged on with no resolution in sight, he rose from his seat and held both hands up high. "Listen, all of you! I have heard your arguments. Our window for action is now. Let us vote. Who wishes to leave?"

About a third of the Mysterians raised their hands.

"Who wishes to remain?"

The other two thirds raised their hands, but the Commandant suspected the answer would not be so simple.

"Keep your hands up. Of those who wish to remain, who wishes to hide and wait out the battle?"

Half of those hands fell.

"And who favors fighting?"

As he had feared, his people were almost perfectly split between those wishing to run, those wishing to hide, and those wishing to fight. No choice was obviously superior; in fact, each could directly result in their extinction. The Commandant thought long and hard before making his decision…

* * *

Nearly a thousand ships began the journey to Frios, but by the time they were halfway to the island, just over seven hundred remained. The bulk of the casualties were among the Bilusaludo, whose Vulture pilots had the maneuverability to engage Ghidorah up close, ensuring that he did not tire of the chase; however, they paid the price for attacking a Planet Eater head-on.

The human forces were fewer from the start, given how much of Earth's military resources had been depleted in the war. Three hundred AC-3 nuclear-powered VTOLs represented the entirety of their aircraft that could keep pace with with the alien vessels. On the other hand, their reactors represented a major threat to the rest of the fleet; if one of them exploded, the blast radius was larger than that of a Vulture or Xilien saucer. This was confirmed when Ghidorah fried a single AC3 along with forty other craft.

Captain Dunham, a former officer on Project G, swerved his AC-3 to avoid the explosion. "Dunham to Z. Do you read me?"

"_I read you, Dunham. Are you alright?"_

"A little toasted, but still alive. I think the other AC-3 pilots and I should break off."

"_If you retreat, he might pursue you instead of us."_

"Then we should split up and take different routes to Frios Island."

"_I still disagree. If we split up now, he might suspect something."_

"_She's right_," said Sura-ko. _"Ghidorah may not be psychic, but he's intelligent."_

"I know it's risky, but if we lose another reactor, we might not have any craft left when we reach the island!"

"_Then spread out," _said Sura-ko,_ "but do not split up."_

"Roger that," said Dunham. "All AC-3 units, make some space but stay in formation."

The pilots obeyed. Dunham was still baffled by the realization that he was sharing his command with warriors from other worlds. He remembered a time not so long ago when he could no more see himself fighting alongside troops from another country. Not only humankind but all sentient beings had finally united against war itself.

* * *

Minilla and Godzooky took the Muite that had arrived into the irradiated zone, armful by armful, and piled it onto Godzilla's body. The stones gave off a faint tangerine glow, and Godzilla's flesh began to ripple and crawl. However, his wounds did not appear to be healing.

Honda, floating via telekinesis while Godzooky assisted carrying the Muite into the irradiated zone, feared the worst. If the next load of Muite gave enough energy to stimulate the plasma gland, they might be able to get Godzilla up and jumping in time. If not, they were well and truly screwed.

* * *

Coogler and Nelliyattu were among the Seatopian psychics waiting on Frios Island. They knew Ghidorah was coming when they heard his musical laugh, the crackling of his lightning breath, and the explosions of ships. The psychics formed a perimeter around the island and linked minds. Any one of them could not hope to compete with the vast intellect of a Planet Eater, but by pooling their telepathy, they could hit him all at once and, at least temporarily, overpower him.

"Bosh'to," the Seatopians said in one voice, "prepare to fire."

The Kilaak Queen heard them on Mars. The Dimension Tide was not fully fixed, but it was as ready as it would ever be for their purpose. The device consisted of a forty meter high rotating pillar topped with a ring that rotated in the opposite direction. As the Dimension Tide was turned on and the rotations began, a sphere formed in the midst of the ring. Its mass was blacker than the blackness of space but filled with shimmering flecks of every conceivable color. The operators stood at a safe distance, waiting for the signal to discharge the singularity.

As the fleet passed over Frios Island, the psychics called out, "Now!" The craft scattered in all directions, leaving King Ghidorah to hover in confusion over the island. Then he felt the power of a thousand telepathic minds seize onto his own. His whole body stiffened, and he fought with all of his might to break free.

Bosh'to also heard the cry of, "Now," and threw up both hands, signaling the Dimension Tide operators to commence discharge. The singularity flew across space, hurtling toward Earth.

The Seatopians had known from the start that their assault would not last. Within moments, their control over the ancient monster was weakening. King Ghidorah was not telepathic himself, but his mind, so powerful it required three brains, was strong enough to fight back fiercely. The psychics struggled to maintain their grip. They were so close. Just a few seconds more…

Then the Dimension Tide malfunctioned catastrophically.

The Kilaak watched in abject horror as the pillar and the ring stopped rotating, the cosmic energy ceased to flow, and the singularity dissipated into nothing midway to its destination. Bosh'to realized that the Seatopian psychics were now trapped on Frios Island with a barely contained Planet Eater. She tried to warn them, but it was too late.

Panic swept through the psychics and their power failed them. With three victorious cries that formed a dissonant but still distinctly musical chord, King Ghidorah broke free. Over a hundred Seatopians were killed by the sheer psychic force. A hundred more were thrown into the sea by the gusts from Ghidorah's beating wings. Still more were slain by the jagged streams of his lightning breath. Moments later, the Planet Eater was flying free away from the island.

Nelliyattu and Coogler survived but were knocked on their backs. As they watched the alien dragon disappear into the distance, they realized something and gasped in shock together. Combining their telepathic power, they were just able to send out a telepathic warning to Honda.

"He's coming back! He knows!"

* * *

Honda nearly fell out of the sky in panic upon receiving the message.

"What's wrong?" asked Belvera. "Did the Grasper plan fail?"

"Worse - it backfired! He sensed what they were up to, and now he's on his way!"

Belvera shared her terror. "We're nowhere near being ready! Half the Muite isn't here yet and Godzilla is still-"

"I know! What are we going to do?"

Belvera shuddered. "What _can _we do?"

* * *

The surviving aircraft now chased Ghidorah back in the direction they had come from. He paid them no mind, shrugging of their fire without a care. All of the remaining Vultures pulled ahead of him and created a wall of laserfire, but he passed right through, nonchalantly smashing most of the Vultures.

Dunham called out to Sura-ko, but her radio was one of the many that had been silenced by Ghidorah's casual wrath. Thinking quickly, he remembered that a nuclear blast had incapacitated Ghidorah once before. Armed with that knowledge, Dunham overloaded the reactor of his AC-3 and rushed Ghidorah from behind, intent on ramming him and creating another nuclear explosion to bring him down into the sea.

WHOOSH!

A swipe of Ghidorah's twin tails sent Dunham's ship spinning out of control. The AC-3 splashed down in the water far below, where it exploded with barely enough force to break the surface. Z-3865 watched from her saucer and knew that there was nothing more she could do to halt Ghidorah's progress. He was out for blood and not to be denied.

Ghidorah had just passed over Mount Fuji when he came to a screeching halt, forcing his pursuers to scatter lest they collide with him. Z-3865 could see him writhing against a mysterious force, surrounded by a faint blue glow. The Mysterian dome had emerged from the ground and was emitting its tractor beam at full strength. Ghidorah's torso and wings had been rendered immobile, as had the medial half of each neck. He could still use his lightning bolts but not crane his necks quite far enough to target the dome directly beneath him.

"Commandant!" said Z-3865 over her radio. "Do you read me?"

"_Loud and clear. I don't think I can contain King Ghidorah for long."_

"What can we do to help?"

"_Nothing. Clear the area. If the dome blows, anything and anyone nearby will be vaporized."_

"What about your people?"

"_They have already evacuated. You should, too!"_

"But you-"

"_Will face my fate with pride. Now flee!"_

A stray blast of Ghidorah's lightning brought down a ship near Z-3865. She needed no further bidding. "All forces, retreat!"

The Commandant sat alone at the master control console, monitoring the dome's power levels as they fluctuated wildly. He was having to constantly make adjustments to other systems to ensure that the tractor beam had all the energy it needed without the dome prematurely combusting. Just as he had suspected, all indications pointed to the dome's power being exhausted within a matter of minutes no matter what else he did, but he had to keep it going as long as possible.

Life support systems were the first thing to go. The Commandant took this in stride and activated the external vents, flooding the dome with fresh air from the outside. He then removed his helmet and leaned back in his seat, breathing slowly. He had never known the taste of taking in natural atmosphere as opposed to stale artificial air. It was indescribably beautiful, even though he knew it was full of pathogens and imperfections that would kill him with time, but he would not live long enough for that to happen. In these final moments, the Commandment felt truly alive for the first time.

All told, the Mysterian leader managed to stall Ghidorah for about five minutes before passing out as his weak lungs failed to absorb enough oxygen to keep him conscious. Without his attention, the dome's power became dysregulated, causing an explosion that threw Ghidorah up and backward. The monster flew through the air so fast that he smashed into the side of Mount Fuji, dazed but still very much alive and intent on finishing what he had started.

* * *

Minilla and Godzooky had just finished placing the first batch of Muite around their grandfather's body when Gojirin, Anguirus, and Baragon arrived with the rest. There were still no signs of life from Godzilla, even with the tangerine light now illuminating every centimeter of his body.

As Godzilla's grandchildren placed more Muite around him, there finally came sounds of movement. Honda sensed it and at first rejoiced, but it soon became clear that the movement originated from something other than Godzilla.

The wreckage of the Dianii starship stirred and groaned before being shoved aside. Gigan had finally regained consciousness. He glanced around at the burned out remains of Tokyo, not entirely understanding what had transpired while he was out. Gigan noticed Godzilla's body and the smaller creatures standing around him. Recognizing them as the spawn of his enemy, Gigan rushed them, holding his chainsaw aloft.

"NO!" Honda screamed. Rodan and Mothra, both of whom had been resting their wings, looked up just as Gigan lunged, too late for either of them to intervene.

However, Yuma and Keiko were still watching. Yuma slammed his eyes shut and searched for a sign of his past connection to Gigan. He found it, seized it, and whispered the monster's name.

Gigan froze with his arm raised over the trembling Godzillas. He recalled the voice of the one he had known as Voltrang.

"_It's me!" _said Yuma._ "Remember? This isn't what you want to do!"_

Gigan protested. He had watched the old world he was built to protect crumble, unable to act against the forces of time and change. He had been awakened after millennia to undo the ravages of those forces only to lose to a flesh and blood enemy. He had returned to Earth in search of simple revenge and found the planet collapsing under the weight of petty conflicts once again.

"_I know, I know. I've felt all of that myself, too. But retribution will not change any of that. We have to confront the real enemy!"_

Gigan lowered his chainsaw arm and contemplated. Like the Great Moths, he was spiritually connected to the Earth itself. He could feel all of the life, the death, and the in-between that made up the world. But he also sensed something that did not belong. A Planet Eater! The Guardian Monsters had fought off alien creatures before, but Gigan knew that a Planet Eater represented an entirely different level of existential threat. In that moment of realization, he committed himself to being a true Guardian Monster once again.

Through the tampering the Garoga had done with his head, Gigan also had a connection to Jet Jaguar and Mechani-Kong, respectively a machine built with no purpose but to fight regardless of its will and a living being whose life had been reduced to serving the same function. Jet and Kong had been outside the blast zone, but the radiation had forced them to shut down. Gigan exercised that connection to them and, slowly but surely, revived them.

Jet and Kong could never be entirely free from their programming; the former was strictly mechanical, while the latter only lived because of mechanical augmentations to his damaged organic brain. However, faced with the downfall of civilization as they had known it and the rise of a much graver threat to the world, their priority was no longer to fight for the abstract concept of a specific nation but rather the planet itself.

Gigan, Jet Jaguar, and Kong stood in unison and turned their gazes north. The three of them headed for the edge of Tokyo, now intent on holding Ghidorah back, even at the cost of their very lives. They were followed by Baragon, Mogu, Rodan, and Anguirus. Only Mothra Ame remained with the offspring of Godzilla. She circled over his body, fluttering her wings and dusting the area with a rainbow substance that glistened in the air.

"What is that?" asked Honda.

Belvera answered gravely, "Mothra is sharing her life force with Godzilla. It may help resurrect him, but it will also weaken her. If Ghidorah attacks her, she will not be able to fight back or escape. It's a risky choice."

Honda nodded. "I agree, but at this point, every choice is a risky one. Hopefully the others can hold Ghidorah back long enough that he can't get a shot at her."

"I hope so." Belvera looked down at Krystalak, who had begun to whine in anticipation. She ran a hand across his smooth, shiny back and felt his inner thoughts. "My, my! How courageous of you! Very well."

Belvera jumped off of her steed and onto Honda's right shoulder, much to the human's surprise. The fairy waved her staff, and instantly Krystalak was transformed from the size of a cat into a creature larger than even Godzilla. The living Batorite entity raced to join the other monsters in preparing their defense against Ghidorah, while Belvera wiped away a single tear, proud at the bravery of her noble steed.

Honda was still confused by her partner's decision to hitch a ride on her shoulder. "You, uh…you okay there?"

"Yeah, yeah, fine," said the fairy, wiping her eyes and holding her staff aloft so that its Batorite tip caught the gleaming sunlight. "This is the last of my Batorite. If I lose it, I lose my powers, probably for good. Just being cautious."

"But why don't you have the same power as your sisters?"

"Earth powers? Too long away, apparently. I can't feel the planet the way I used to be able to. I couldn't even return here under my own power."

"Oh, my! If you do lose your powers, what will you do?"

Belvera shrugged. "I don't know. I honestly don't know. I haven't dared think that far ahead yet."

* * *

Ghidorah saw the eight monsters waiting for him at the edge of the city and announced his arrival with a storm of golden lightning. Most of his opponents jumped, flew, or burrowed out of the way, but Anguirus instead lunged with all of his might straight at Ghidorah, chomping down on his middle neck. Ghidorah shrieked as he was pulled toward the ground by the sudden weight, but then recovered and continued flight, albeit slowed by his obnoxious burden. He had nearly regained his lost altitude Rodan and Gigan dove onto him from above, this time successfully bringing him to the ground.

In a flash, all eight Earth monsters were upon Ghidorah - pecking, biting, clawing, slashing, pummeling, and kicking. No one of these attacks represented a serious threat to the life of something so powerful as a Planet Eater, but he could not counter every blow at once. He would get one wing free just as the other was pinned back down. He would fire a lightning blast just as an opponent dodged and another of his heads was seized and throttled. He would strike out with one of his tails and hit someone only for someone else to grab or bite it.

Baragon tunneled deep down and back up, poked his head out of the ground, and chomped on Ghidorah's middle neck, pulling it back underground with him. He then burrowed out of the way, bringing tons of earth and stone down to trap Ghidorah's head. On the surface above, Gigan lifted his chainsaw arm and swung it toward the trapped neck. However, a golden lightning streak sliced off the end of the chainsaw, sending the chain flying off. Gigan staggered backward but recovered quickly and kicked the right head hard enough to daze it again.

Ghidorah's left head took a shot at Rodan. The pterosaur shielded his head with his right wing, which was sliced in half, right through the bones; the membranous region of the wing had been damaged and healed many times before, but the loss of bone meant it would never regenerate and he would be forever grounded. Unable to fly away, he hopped clumsily backward to narrowly avoid another lightning bolt.

Ghidorah managed to get both wings free for just long enough to flap them hard and send out a gust of wind with such power that his attackers were knocked aside. The right head recovered, and both it and the left head fired their lightning directly into the ground, loosening the earth around his central head so he could pull it free. Baragon seized the head head in his jaws as it was emerging, but the other two heads targeted him simultaneously with their lightning. The burrowing monster's throat was gashed open on one side and his skull partially crushed on the other; fatally wounded, Baragon relinquished his grip.

The remaining monsters closed distance on Ghidorah quickly, but he was already upright again and fired three lightning bolts at once. The first took off Gigan's cannon arm, the second tore a hole in Kong's chest, and the third struck Rodan's leg and crippled him completely, knocking him to the ground in a helpless writhing heap.

Mogu tried using his Muite beam on Ghidorah's chest, but all that managed to do was take off some of the outer scales and gently singe a bit of tissue beneath. Ghidorah's beams were far more powerful and summarily dispatched Mogu in the same fashion as his brother. Krystalak spewed forth a torrent of Batorite energy, but this proved ineffective as well. Ghidorah's lightning shattered his wings and caused the rest of his crystalline body to flicker as most of its energy was scattered into the surrounding environment. Anguirus locked his jaws around one of Ghidorah's tails as he tried to fly away again; Ghidorah could not turn around far enough to shoo him away with lightning.

Kong looked at the hole in his chest and realized that his battery had been damaged. He knew that it would become overloaded and detonate shortly, so he decided to use that to his advantage. He wrapped a powerful arm around all three of Ghidorah's necks and motioned for the others to get back.

However, Gigan and Jet Jaguar could see that Ghidorah was breaking free from both Anguirus and Kong's grips. They therefore elected to each restrain a wing long enough for Kong to self-destruct and hopefully take Ghidorah with him. Seeing what was coming, Anguirus let go of the tail and rushed over to Rodan, dragging him desperately to safety.

Kong's metal armor became red hot from the energy overload well before the explosion. The heat caused him to lose consciousness and loosen his grip. This allowed one of the heads to slip free and took aim at Gigan's head. At such close range, Gigan could not dodge, and the force of the blast decapitated him.

As Ghidorah freed himself completely from Kong's grasp, Jet Jaguar scrambled to take hold of his necks, then used all of his strength to flip the much larger monster over his head, body slamming him onto his back. Ghidorah could not turn himself over again easily. Jet Jaguar lifted Kong's body, which now reeked of molten metal and burning flesh, and dropped it onto Ghidorah's chest, where it exploded on impact. Krystalak used what power he had left to form a shield around the blast, containing it as best as he could.

Seconds later, not much was left of Jet Jaguar, Gigan, or Kong, but Ghidorah was still in one piece. He staggered upright, shook himself off, and glared at Krystalak on the other side of the force field. Presently, the crystal monster's energy was depleted and his body went dark. The shield collapsed, and King Ghidorah demolished Krystalak's remains with lightning before moving on.

* * *

Honda saw the explosion from far away and knew at once that Ghidorah had gotten through the last line of defense and was entering the city. Godzilla's grandchildren had just placed the last of their Muite around him and were now fleeing for their lives in the opposite direction from which Ghidorah approached. But then Minilla turned around and ran back to Godzilla's side.

"What are you doing?" cried Honda. "Run!"

Minilla sucked in a big breath of air and puffed out a cloud of white radioactive gas directly into Godzilla's chest cavity. The remains of the plasma gland shriveled for a moment, but then it began to regenerate. Minilla was proud of his own quick thinking but knew better than to stick around and watch. He turned tail and sped away as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Mothra Ame remained a few moments longer, continuing to dust Godzilla with life-giving energy.

"Get away!" shouted Belvera. "There's nothing more you can do!"

Ame saw Ghidorah approaching in the distance and flew away as fast as she could.

Then Honda sensed something. Godzilla was coming alive again. The plasma gland had been fully restored and was absorbing energy from the Muite, using it to repair his wounds. Godzilla was still unconscious; Honda could feel activity in his brain, but he was not waking up. Ghidorah continued to bear down on him, raising his head in preparation to fire enough lightning at once to disintegrate Godzilla.

Overcome with distress, Honda shouted at the top of her lungs, "GET UP! GET THE HELL UP NOW, YOU BIG DUMB BRUTE!"

She received a fleeting hint of a response, but it was incoherent. Godzilla was coming around, but it was too late. There was no time for him to finish waking up. Ghidorah was nearly upon him.

Belvera looked down at her staff, at its gleaming Batorite tip. With barely a moment's hesitation, she threw it like a javelin and used her telekinesis to guide its path. The staff entered the rapidly closing hole in Godzilla's chest and embedded itself in the plasma gland.

The effect was instantaneous. The combination of three cosmic powers - Muite, Batorite, and Mothra's life essence - generated a column of blinding light that caused all onlookers to avert their eyes, including Ghidorah, who flew sideways to avoid being in the path of whatever was letting off such a massive energy field.

The light had just begun to die down when a brilliant rainbow emerged from the column, but it was no outcome of luminous reflection. The rainbow struck Ghidorah's torso and sent him crashing to the ground. The Planet Eater tried raising himself but realized with a searing pain that the blast had burned through all the layers of scales over a large area of his chest and blackened the underlying flesh.

The column of light disappeared, and there was Godzilla, altogether alive and looking more determined than ever. His right forearm had been reformed in pure Muite, solid but flexible. Batorite had burst forth from the plasma gland, forming a spiked shield around his chest. His dorsal plates had been reformed in alternating growths of Muite and Batorite. Most strikingly, though, every centimeter of his body shimmered with rainbow energy given by Mothra Ame.

Honda's jaw hung slack. Godzilla cast a glance her way and spoke into her mind: _"Thanks __for the help__. Now please, stay out of the way. This __out to be__ be messy."_

Honda nodded, still dumbfounded. "Okay. Wow. Good to have you back, Godzilla."

Belvera, equally astounded, shook her head. "That isn't Godzilla. That's…Super Godzilla!"

Super Godzilla showed right away that he could do that title justice. Ghidorah charged toward him, spitting lightning as he came. Godzilla did not even flinch. The golden beams burst against him, sending out showers of sparks but not hurting him even a bit. Ghidorah kept coming and tried to engage his enemy up close, but then he was stopped suddenly at arm's length. With reflexes too fast to observe with the naked eye, Godzilla's Muite arm seized Ghidorah's middle neck and gripped it tight, squeezing the breath out of it so that the resulting screams lacked their typical musical quality.

Godzilla sneered up at the terrified face. _"You took one of mine," _he said, flexing his new arm, _"so now I'm taking one of yours!" _He squeezed as tight as he could and pulled. Ghidorah's middle head was torn from its socket and went silent.

What was left of the terrible monster broke free and charged, knocking Godzilla to the ground and flying over him. However, his Muite arm flew up again and grabbed the left tail. Ghidorah jolted to a stop, but only briefly before the tail was ripped off. Godzilla cast it aside and stood up as his opponent continued his flight.

Ghidorah looped around for another attack but saw Godzilla charging up another blast from his rainbow beam; instead, he touched down, fired a few more lightning bolts that again ricocheted harmlessly, and folded his wings in front of him. The rainbow beam passed through his right wing like a hot knife through butter. His right head fared no better; it did not come clean off but was burned beyond recognition, and the neck drooped lifelessly down across his chest.

For the first time since his encounter with the Destroyer, King Ghidorah sensed that he was in mortal danger. With only one head and one tail still attached, his right wing in shreds, his chest burned deep, and his vast intellect greatly diminished by the loss of his other heads, the once dreaded Planet Eater was reduced to a shambling, lopsided, pathetic mess of a beast.

Godzilla could feel his unmitigated fear. _"Perhaps you finally know something of the nightmare you inflicted on so many others before. And now, you can join them!"_ He closed his eyes and sucked in his breath. Again the blinding light appeared around him, covering him from head to toe as he channeled every ounce of energy in his body into a final burst of his rainbow beam.

King Ghidorah's last head barely got out the faintest of screams before his torso was struck. The rainbow beam bore right through and carried on as far as the eye could see. Every golden scale on his body turned red, then white, then translucent, and then they were gone. For a few fractions of a second, the slimy flesh beneath was just barely visible before that, too, was burned away to nothingness, followed by the bones and viscera.

The most feared and hated being in the universe disappeared without a trace, never to rise again.


	9. Prayer for Peace

Just as every Great Moth was bound to the Earth's life force, so for a few moments was Super Godzilla. As he threw back his head in a roar of triumph, all living things at once felt that same triumph in knowing that King Ghidorah had been defeated. The entire world breathed a sigh of relief in unison. Peace and light had returned.

Godzilla looked out across the bay at Honda and began to walk toward her. As he came nearer, she saw that the crystals embedded in his body were losing their glow, and the rainbow dust Mothra had showered on him was now drifting away on the wind. Mothra Ame drifted toward him and began reabsorbing the dust. Then Godzilla's form began to deteriorate; first the Muite arm crumbled into a fine powder, then so did his Batorite chest plate and his crystal spines.

"What's happening?" said Honda, frightened. "What are you doing?"

"_Shedding this form. I wish to be whole again."_

Godzilla's regenerative powers had been fully restored, and now he was healing rapidly. His arm had begun to reform, and the gap in his chest was closing quickly. He waded into the bay and lay down in the water.

"_Thank you. For everything. You know that I was born only to be a weapon, but because of you, my life has been much more than that."_

Honda did not like how existential he was suddenly getting. Her voice quivered as she asked, "Hey, big guy...uh...you're not...you know...leaving us again, are you?"

"_No. Not Today. For now, I just need to rest." _Godzilla's eyes closed, and he drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep, lulled by the calm waters of the bay.

Belvera tapped Honda's cheek. "Hey. I don't know about you, but I could use some down time myself. How about you?"

Honda chuckled. "Yeah. I think we've earned it. It's been a long day."

* * *

Much changed over the last few months of 1965.

The Mysterians had not abandoned Earth but instead made their way to Seatopia, hoping that they could be healed. They and the Xiliens required all the care the Seatopian healers could give, but soon they were all on the road to recovery. It was then that a magnificent discovery was made: both the Mysterians and Xiliens were not aliens, but rather human descendants of the Earth diaspora after the fall of Nirai-Kanai. Nothing could return to them the countless years they had lost wandering space, but they found solace in the promise of a new life, and the Xiliens chose names for themselves again, allowing themselves to begin the process of regaining individual identities.

Seatopia itself ended its isolationist policy forever and spread beyond their subterannean kingdom. The last few remaining Bilusaludo remained in the forests of Russia, where they learned to live in harmony with the Servum. The Seatopian healers treated the fighting Servum, removing the armor grafted onto them and restoring them to their full selves again. The Seatopians also shared their advances with humanity at large, helping the world recover, one day at a time, from the trials it had endured, helped along by Mothra Ame's magic restorative powers. It was the dawn of a more peaceful and equitable civilization.

That civilization would soon spread beyond Earth, too. The Kilaak disassembled the Dimension Tide and rebuilt it on a space station that would float between Earth and Venus, allowing instant travel between the two worlds and, eventually, to other solar systems. The people of New Earth hoped to restore contact with the other inhabited worlds scattered throughout the universe.

Queen Salno helped direct the larger recovery efforts but was openly and emphatically against taking on more power; she did not want to be queen of the world, and believed that anyone who might would be the one to deserve that power the least. Zaguresu, formerly known as Z-3865, and Nelliyattu chose to become interstellar ambassadors, their first mission being to the planet of the Houtua. Coogler became a minister of law in his home country, helping to ensure that their society was rebuilt to be more just than it was before. Yuma and Keiko both became healers, pioneering new techniques and expanding the possibilities of both Muite and Batorite. Their first miracle was fully restoring Rodan's wing, allowing him to fly free once more.

Belvera had been wrong about there being no more Batorite; there was plenty to go around. However, it proved unnecessary for her purposes. Her spiritual connection to the Earth was restored, and soon she had all of her old powers back. She returned to Infant Island with her sisters, and the three of them set all of their old differences aside. On sunny days, all three of them could be seen in their moth forms – pink, blue, and purple – dancing across the skies, giggling with sheer unadulterated joy.

Rodan, Anguirus, Gojirin, Godzooky, and Minilla returned to the Adona Islands along with Mothra Ame to live in peace, albeit with the promise that if the people of New Earth ever needed their help, they would answer the call. Those creatures who gave their lives in protecting the Earth – Battra, Gigan, Baragon, Mogu, Krystalak, Kong, and Jet Jaguar – were memorialized with shrines at the foot of Mount Fuji. In the years to come, millions from around the world would travel there every year to pay their respects to the fallen.

The people of New Earth had more than had their fill of war, but none more so than Honda and Godzilla. They had been approached by some about leading or guarding this newborn civilization, but the truth was that they were both already tired from their responsibilities of the last half decade. Instead, Honda and Godzilla decided that they would take some time to travel the world, enjoy some well-earned rest and relaxation, and then...who knows?

After mending her friendship with Yuma, Honda left with Godzilla, determined to spend a year traveling, taking their time, exploring every nook and cranny of this beautiful planet. The wonders they saw, big and small, were endless, as were the faces they encountered along the way. Just like her paleontology days, she found herself captivated by the beauty of nature in all its surprising forms.

One night, Godzilla lay on his belly in the sand of an island neither new the name of while Honda rested atop his head, looking up at the stars. A question had been on her mind for ages, but she had been hesitant to ask it until this moment. "Hey, big guy. I was wondering, when you were, uh...you know..._gone _for a day or so..."

"_You mean when I died?"_

"Well, yes, to punt it bluntly. Anyway, when that happened, did you...I don't know...see anything? Like, on the other side?"

"_Yes."_

"Can you tell me about it?"

"_I can, but I won't."_

"And why not?"

"_I don't want to spoil the surprise for you."_

Honda chuckled. "You cheeky little..."

"_I will tell you this much: it's beautiful. But this world is beautiful, too, so let's not rush it too much."_

"No, of course not." Honda folded her hands behind her head and sighed. "Speaking of which, this whole 'Peace on Earth' business – do you think it'll last?"

"_You should ask Keiko."_

"I did. She didn't know. I'm asking for your opinion."

"_I want to think so, but I don't want to assume. I hope it does. Why?"_

"Oh, just wondering. I hope so, too. Actually, I have to believe it will! We went through so much to get here. It better not be for nothing."

_"Time will tell. We should give the world time that chance, and give ourselves a chance to rest."_

"Good thinking. Thanks, big guy. Good night!"

"_Good night, my friend."_

Honda drifted off to sleep under the stars. Tomorrow could wait until tomorrow. For now, it was perfectly acceptable for them both to relax. Project G had completed its mission.


End file.
